Brief information on Mogao Grottoes  

Mogao Grottoes is also called the Thousand-Buddha Grottoes of Dunhuang. It lies at the foot of Mingsha Hill, 25 kilometers away from Dunhuang, Gansu Province. Mogao Grottoes is one of the three most famous grottoes in China. The others are the Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang and the Yungang Grottoes in Datong. Mogao Grottoes is famous for its exquisite murals, beautiful sculptures, long history and large scale.

The mural art in Mogao Grottoes is unique. The murals, especially the story telling murals, have made Mogao Grottoes famous all over the world. There are no grottoes that can reach or exceed it in the world. The story telling murals depict mainly Buddhist thought including the scriptures, the biography and stories of Buddha, and other Buddhist historical records. In addition, there are Gods, mighty warriors, a thousand small Buddhas, as well as flying Buddhist angels too. The murals in Mogao Grottoes are famous for their grand scale, extensive subject matter and exquisite art. For these reasons, Mogao Grottoes is called the “library on the wall”.

The first grotto of the Mogao Grottoes complex was built in 366 AD by a monk named Le Zun. The Grottoes were expanded by different dynasties, such as the South and North Dynasties, Sui, Tang, the Five Dynasties, Song, and Western Xia or Yuan Dynasty. The Grottoes measure 1,600 meters long and 50 meters high and are close-packed like a beehive. There are 491 grottoes in which there are more than 2000 sculptures and 45000 square meters of murals. All of these have a history of more than 1600 years.

The murals of the Mogao Grottos reflect traditional Chinese artistic styles. However, they have also absorbed the best from the arts of ancient India, Greece and Iran. Therefore, this shining pearl is a mixture of eastern and western arts. In 1987, it was listed as a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO.

*You can download the bilingual note to show it to a taxi driver or someone else to find your way to Mogao Grottoes if you plan to visit Mogao Grottoes and have language problems.

Chinese Pinyin: mo gao ku
Hours: 08:10-18:00
Location: 25 kms southeast of Dunhuang, Gansu