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Bizaklik Thousand Buddha Caves

Bizaklik Thousand Buddha Caves are located 45 km east of Turpan in the western cliffs of the Mutou Valley under the Flaming Mountain. They are the important attractions along the ancient Silk Road today.
The construction of the caves began in 420B.C. and ended in 1368. As one of the most valuable Buddhist cave sits in China, there are 83 man-made caves or grottos and murals in 40 of the caves covering a combined area of about 1,200 sq meters.
Bizaklik Caves once a the royal temple of Huihu (the predecessor of today's Uigur) State and the existing caves take us back to the ancient Huihu State, where we can see the people's life in that time. The inscriptions on the murals in ancient Uigur, Chinese, and other languages provide invaluable references for historical research. A mural found in cave No. 17 depicts the doctrines of the ancient third century Persian religion of Manicheism is the best evidence. The Buddhist disciples wailing in mourning and Bhikku wailing in mourning in Cave No.33 are highly praised for their vivid expression.