Founded by Jamyang Zhepa ('jam dbyangs bzhad pa) in 1709 on the three-hundredth anniversary of Ganden Monastery, Labrang (bla brang) Monastery in Amdo (a mdo) is one of Tibet's largest monasteries. It is situated in a historically nomadic and semi-nomadic environment on the northeastern corner of the Tibetan Plateau in the region now called Sangchu (bsang chu) County, or in Chinese, Xiahe County. Despite its proximity to a diverse assortment of ethnic groups and religious traditions, Labrang is a fully developed Gelukpa (dge lugs pa) Tibetan Buddhist institution and indeed is famous as the home of some of Tibet's most respected scholars.