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Thousand Buddha Caves of Bezeklik Baizikelike Qianfodong

Near Turpan lie the Thousand Buddha Caves.

The best known are undoubtedly those at Bezeklik (some 50km/30mi northeast of Turpan), a collection of retreats once inhabited by Buddhist monks. Many of the important wall-paintings, a testimony to the heyday of Chinese Buddhism, were discovered by European archaeologists, many of them German, prior to the First World War.

Must-see attractions nearby:
In all visitors can see 57 caves, all numbered, which contain fragments of frescos from the 6th to the 14th C portraying Buddhist themes.

In Cave No. 39 can be seen a group of mourners accompanied by thirteen disciples of Buddha.

The north wall of Cave No. 37 shows a painting of a bodhisattva, dressed in red and with blue eyes and a long, straight nose. The explanatory inscriptions are almost all in Chinese and Uigur; this suggests that at this time the cultures of China and Asia Minor complemented and influenced one another.

At the approach to the Bezeklik Caves is a mini leisure park where the history of the Silk Road is vividly presented.
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