Barkhor Street was built for Jokhang Temple and then developed with the latter. It has a history of more than 1,300 years.
In the 7th century, Tibetan King Srongtsen Gampo ordered the construction of Jokhang Temple in Wotang Lake, as well as the construction of four palaces around the lake. He then moved to the palaces with his concubines and subjected to supervise the construction progress of the project in person. The four palaces are the earliest buildings on Barkhor Street. After its completion, Jokhang Temple attracted many pilgrims.
After the 15th century, Jokhang Temple became a communication center of Buddhism.