By combining masonry with the skills of nomad tent-makers, Tibetan architects have produced unique, magnificent buildings that, for too long, have remained obscure and underestimated. It took author-illustrator Michel Peissel, who speaks Tibetan, forty-five years and twenty-nine expeditions on foot and on horseback to reach the lesser-known fortresses, chapels, and monasteries that he sketched and painted for this book. Tibet - the impossible pilgrimage also reveals how the Tibetan nation and its culture are still very much alive even though Tibet has since been partitioned and appropriated by China, India, Pakistan, and Nepal. Incredibly today, from the Himalayas of Nepal to Mongolia, from Baltistan and Ladakh across occupied Tibet to Kansu and Szechuan, hundreds of new, elegant buildings are still being built according to the finest Tibetan traditions. This book is certain to foster an appreciation for the elegance of Tibetan architecture, confirming the extent of its influence and its remarkable originality.