The Potala Palace, one of the world's most iconic landmarks and a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site, is to implement a Monday closure policy starting Dec 1, according to an announcement released on its official website on Monday.

The palace in Lhasa, the capital of China's Xizang autonomous region, is regarded as the highest such structure in the world.

The Potala Palace Management Office has said that the Monday closures will allow for necessary maintenance work, cultural relics inspections, and updates to exhibitions, as well as the disinfection of the ancient site's environment and upkeep of public facilities, Xinhua News Agency reported.