Mogao Caves, Gansu province, China

Mogao Caves, China

This Chinese attraction entered the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1987. The Mogao Caves, China, also known by the names Mogao Grottoes, Caves of the Thousand Buddhas, Qianfodong or Dunhuang Caves are 492 temples 25 km from the centre of Dunhuang, in the Gansu province, China. The Mogao caves are not natural caves but they are temples built inside the rock, by cutting the rock itself.

The Mogao caves are famous because of their murals, which occupy an area of 42,000 square metres, and because of the large amount of ancient Buddhist manuscripts that were stored inside the caves. Mogao means high up in the desert.

Mogao Caves - history

The Mogao caves were built over a long period, from the IV century to the XIV century. According to the legend, in 366 the Buddhist monk Lezun had a vision of one thousand Buddhas and persuaded a wealthy pilgrim to finance the building of the first temples. Over time the complex grew bigger and bigger and the monks painted its famous murals and carved Buddhist statues.

Mogao caves – art

The Mogao caves’ murals are one of the greatest examples of Buddhist painting. They are so extensive that is believed possible to fill 25km of space in a gallery with those murals. In addition, the Mogao caves contain about 50,000 ancient Buddhist manuscripts. Also, in the Mogao caves you can admire ancient Buddhist statues and the architecture of the temples, which were skilfully built inside the rock.

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Extra links:

• Flights to mainland China - Travel information.
• Learning Chinese - information about the Chinese languages.

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