From 1823, Hungarian scholar Alexander (Sándor) Csoma de Kőrös took a room in the little knoll-top fortress-palace at the edge of Zangla while compiling the first Western dictionary of Tibetan. Effectively forgotten, the structure was a ruin on the verge of collapse in 2008 when a Hungarian organisation inspired by the Csoma link, set about restoring the site. They have since also built a solar-heated school for the local village kids. Volunteers and donations are encouraged.
