Where the Paintings Are

Where the Paintings Are

On the outskirts of Turpan, the Bezeklik Caves house a super interesting - though greatly damaged - set of caves that are home to paintings of highly artistic and religious artwork. They're hidden within one of the valleys of the Flaming Mountains, and are said to mark the beginning of Buddhism in China.

Today there are said to be around 70+ grottoes but only just over half still have their original murals. At the time of our visit, we could only enter a handful of caves, the others were all locked up, but what we did manage to see was super interesting, and if you're in the area it is well worth the detour and can still give you a glimpse into what the past, precious artwork woulld have been like back in the day.

Find it: Bezeklik Caves, Flaming Mountain Area, Gaochang District, Turpan

#momentsmission

Post by Michaela (@uncoveringcities) | Dec 22, 2021