Bezeklik Caves

The Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves (Chinese: 柏孜克里千佛洞; pinyin: Bózīkèlǐ Qiānfódòng, Uyghur: ېىزەكلىك مىڭ ئۆيى ) are small Buddhist caves. They are between the cities of Turpan and Shanshan (Loulan) at the north-east of the Taklamakan Desert. They are near the ancient ruins of Gaochang in the Mutou Valley, in the Xinjiang region of western China. Bezeklik murals There are 77 rock-cut caves at the site. Most of them have rectangular spaces with rounded arch ceilings. These are often divided into four sections. Each of these four sections has a mural of the Buddha. The entire ceiling is covered with hundreds of Buddha murals. Some murals show a large Buddha with other figures, including Turks, Indians and Europeans. Some of the murals are a better quality than others. References