Mogao Caves

The Mogao Caves — also called the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas — are the world's finest repository of Buddhist art, carved and painted over ten centuries (4th–14th century AD) in a sandstone cliff face at the eastern edge of the Taklimakan Desert. The 492 surviving decorated caves contain 45,000 square metres of murals and more than 2,400 clay sculptures, ranging from thumb-sized figurines to a 35.5-metre reclining Buddha. Carved along the Silk Road at an oasis stop used by merchants, pilgrims, soldiers, and diplomats, the caves chronicle the transmission of Buddhism from India through Central Asia to China, while preserving secular scenes of music, dance, hunting, and daily life. Cave 17, the "Library Cave," was sealed around 1000 AD and rediscovered in 1900, yielding 50,000 manuscripts and silk paintings now dispersed among world museums. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. Access is by guided tour with limited daily visitor numbers; the Digital Exhibition Centre provides immersive pre-visit content.