Work / monument · monument

Simtokha Dzong

1629 · 17th century

Simtokha Dzong is a fortress-monastery just south of Thimphu, Bhutan, built by Ngawang Namgyal, the Zhabdrung, in 1629. It was the first dzong he built and is among the oldest surviving in the country, setting the pattern for the fortress-monasteries that combined government and monastic functions across Bhutan. It now houses an institute for the study of the Dzongkha language.

Simtokha Dzong — Image: Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Zhabdrung Bhutan

See also

Cite this entry

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Simtokha Dzong. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/simtokha-dzong
MLA: “Simtokha Dzong.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/simtokha-dzong. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Simtokha Dzong.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/simtokha-dzong.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Simtokha Dzong’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/simtokha-dzong (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻