Dunhuang is a city in Jiuquan, in the Gansu province of China, famous for the Mogao Caves (Grottoes) also known as the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas. More than two thousand years ago, the whole area was a prosperous oasis on the famous Silk Road, a great mix between religion and culture but also a strategic trading route. Now all these are gone under the large yellow “sea” - the Kumtag Desert also known as the Sand Mountain Desert.
Part of the famous ancient sculptural sites of China, the Mogao Grottoes are the country’s biggest, a rarity that began shaping back more than 1,000 years ago. The local legend says that Le Zun, a Buddhist monk, had a vision of a thousand Buddhas under showers of golden rays. That inspired him to start the excavations and to sculpture the caves he envisioned.
Used to store art, scriptures, these days there are 750 cells and cave sanctuaries, hundreds of statues, more than 50,000 manuscripts and artifacts. However one of the most stunning view is given by the enormous wall frescoes that cover more than 450,000 sq ft (42,000 sqm) . Most of the wall-paintings cover religion and mythology scenes related to Buddha or fairy tales while other murals bring out spirits, animals, buildings or social life of those times.
Getting inside the gloomy and cold Mogao Caves is like being taken back in history to relive the whole experience yourself. Highly worth it!
Images courtesy of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
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amazing .. wish I could make my “silk road” trip happen someday. It seems like there are so many interesting things to see and beautiful places to go.