Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves

The caves are found in the Mutougou River Valley, 40 kilometers away from the Flaming Mountain to the east of Turpan City.The 83 caves (57 caves currently remain) in a sheer cliff face are arranged over a distance of one kilometer on the western bank of the river. They were once used as prayer caves, meditation caves, monks' dormitory and memorial caves.The murals cover an area over 1,200 square meters in more than 40 caves. Beginning in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the construction experienced Tang Dynasty, the Five Dynasties, Song and Yuan dynasties. The Caves had been the Buddhist center of Gaochang. Near the end of the 13 century, the royal family of Gaochang moved to Yongchang, Gansu. Around this same time, Buddhism in Turpan began to decline in popularity with the introduction of Islam. Subsequently, the religious importance of The Bizalkik Thousand Buddha Caves became less apparent. Many of the caves were destroyed during the ensuing religious clashes.Vandals dug out the eyes of many of the portraits human figures contained in the murals. Later, at the beginning of the 20 century, foreign explorers robbed the caves of much of the treasures.Despite all the destruction, the surviving parts,such as the delicate Buddha seat and the bright color of the murals, give us some idea of its past glory.