Mogao Caves

莫高窟

A Buddhist art treasure house with 735 caves and 45,000 square meters of murals, built over a thousand years. A UNESCO World Heritage Site and the pinnacle of Silk Road civilization.

The Mogao Caves are carved into the cliffs on the eastern side of Mingsha Mountain, 25 km southeast of Dunhuang city. Construction began in 366 CE under the Former Qin and continued for over a thousand years, from the Sixteen Kingdoms through to the Yuan dynasty. The site contains 735 caves, 45,000 square meters of murals and more than 2,000 painted sculptures, and was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. The discovery of the Library Cave in 1900, and the subsequent dispersal of its artifacts, is a famous chapter in modern history.

Visit flow: First, watch two dome-screen films at the digital exhibition center, Thousand Years of Mogao and Dreamlike Buddha Palace, about 40 minutes in total. Then take a shuttle bus to the cave area, where a guide leads groups through 8 caves. Each tour lasts about 75 minutes, and the caves are assigned randomly, usually including the Nine-Storey Pavilion's giant Maitreya Buddha in Cave 96 and the Library Cave (Cave 17). Finally, you can explore the exhibition center and the Library Cave exhibition hall on your own.

Tickets: Class A tickets cost 238 yuan in peak season and must be booked with real-name registration through the Mogao Caves reservation website or the 'Mogao Caves' mini-program. In peak season, book at least 3 to 7 days ahead. When tickets sell out, you can buy an emergency ticket for 100 yuan, which covers 4 major caves and excludes the dome films. In the off-season (December 1 to March 31 the following year), Class A tickets are half price and include 12 caves.

Photography and flash are prohibited inside the caves. Guides carry flashlights, but bringing a small flashlight of your own helps you see details. The whole visit takes about 3 to 4 hours. From the city, take Bus 12 or a taxi (about 40 yuan).

Mogao Caves

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