Bhaktapur - Upper Town

Like Kathmandu, Bhaktapur boasts a markedly older settlement nucleus in the eastern part of the Upper Town, centered around what was once the fork in the trade route to Tibet and the eastern Himalayas. Here are found not only numerous bahals but also the oldest shrines in the city. Between the clusters of houses huddling close together are large rectangular open spaces, aligned with the points of the compass and linked by an irregular network of streets. Much of Newari everyday life, from washing clothes to playing games in the evening, is carried on in these "squares", among fountains, temples and shrines.