Mogao Grottoes
Lying in the westernmost of Hexi Corridor Pass in Gansu Province, Dunhuang is a huge oasis in the Gebi desert. Created by nature it was an important stopover for trade along the Silk Road (from ancient Xian to Rome), an intersection of Western and Oriental civilizations, as well as a defendable stronghold in history (especially during the Han and Tang Dynasties). During this period, it was visited by envoys, merchants and monks from many countries. Many grottoes were built by rich merchants, in which ceremonies were held to pray for business success and personal safety.
Mogao Grottoes, also called Thousand Buddhist Caves, 25km southeast of Dunhuang, were gouged out of a cliff on Mingsha Mountain. Beginning from 366 A.D., and for the following l,000 years, more stone caves were built, eventually forming a l,680m long south-north complex, comprising 735 caves from different dynasties. During the Wu Zetian Period of the Tang Dynasty, the complex reached its prime with more than l,000 caves, hence the name of Thousand Buddhist Caves. Owing to the ravages of history many have been ruined or plundered. Fortunately, there remain 492 caves, 2,000 color statues, and 45,000m2 0f frescoes, which make Mogao a gem of Buddhist art for all humankind. Mogao Grottoes were a mysterious land where people expressed their beliefs and emotions.
The guardian of the caves and Taoist priest Wang Yuanlu in 1900 astounded the world, when he accidentally discovered the Sutra Cave, which is considered one of the greatest archaeology finds of the 20th century. Some foreign explorers, who were in Middle Asia (present day Iran/Iraq), learned about this and turned their eyes towards Dunhuang. They rushed here and looted thousands of sculptures, frescoes and silk sutra scrolls. The missing documents and cultural relics can be found in the museums of London, Moscow, Paris, and Tokyo. The loss of the Sutra Cave contents resulted in an international study of Dunhuang, which formed a complete theoretical system, comprising the caves, the sutra scrolls and the history of the Silk Road.