Shigatse Dzong, Dzong fortress in Samzhubzê District, Tibet, China

Shigatse Dzong is a fortress complex located in Samzhubzê at 3,860 meters elevation, featuring thick stone walls built in traditional style. The structure includes a central Red Palace and fortified towers that define its overall appearance.

The fortress was built between 1611 and 1621 by Karma Phuntsok Namgyal and served as the residence for governors of Tsang. It was destroyed in 1961 but later reconstructed following historical photographs, with the work completed in 2007.

The dzong was the seat of the dzongpön, a governor appointed from Lhasa, who administered Shigatse town while the Panchen Lama held temporal power over three nearby districts. The modern town grew around the fort's base, and since the 2005–2007 reconstruction the building has served as a museum of Tibetan culture.

The dzong stands on a hilltop above Shigatse at about 3,860 metres, where air oxygen is roughly 67 percent of that at sea level; mid-summer averages 16 °C and mid-winter −5 °C. The rebuilt structure is a museum of Tibetan culture, reached from the town that has grown around the base of the hill. The site lies near the confluence of the Yarlung Tsangpo and Nyang Chu rivers, and China National Highway 318 passes through Shigatse.

The fortress stands at the crossroads of major trade routes connecting Lhasa, Nepal, and western Tibet, making it a strategic traffic hub. This central location made it historically important for exchange and communication across vast distances.