Mogao Grottoes

The Mogao Grottoes (Mogao Ku) also known as the Thousand Buddha Caves, constitute one of the three major Buddhist grotto sites in China, situated 25 kilometers southeast of Dunhuang city on cliffs in the eastern Singing Sand Mountains. Dating back to the Han Dynasty, the caves contain buddhist sculpture and frescoes from ten dynasties ending with the Tang. After the Tang Dynasty, the heyday of Dunhuang Mogao Buddhist art, the local economy around Dunhuang went into decline and production of Buddhist art lessened dramatically. Despite the ravages of time, the winds and sand, 492 caves still exist. These caves contain thousands of square meters of frescoes, created with layers of cement and clay and then painted. The various dynasties each feature different styles and themes, and there is great deal of variety in the content of the frescoes, although themes typically revolve around Buddha images. The Mogao Buddhist sculptures were generally constructed with terracotta and then covered with a carvable plaster surface that is painted after being carved. Cave number 17 is particularly famous for its hoard of buddhist scriptures and artwork.

Opposite the Mogao Grottoes at the foot of Sanwei Mountain, the Dunhuang Art Exhibition Center was built by the Dunhuang Art Study Institute with donations by Japanese contributors. Replicated grottoes that have been made to recreate destroyed or damaged caves can also be found here.