Phari

Phari, a town of Tibet. It is supposed to be the highest and coldest town in the world, being 15,000 ft. above the sea. As it commands the road between the Chumbi Valley and Lhasa and also one of the chief passes into Bhutan, Phari is of considerable military importance, and is defended by a large fort or Jong, which was occupied by the British expedition of 1904. Phari Jong is supposed to have been built about 1500 E.D., and was enlarged or rebuilt in 1792, under Chinese advice, as a defence against the British. It has the appearance of a medieval castle, and seems to have been built in imitation of the European style.