Arjai Grottoes
阿尔寨石窟
A cave-temple complex carved into a flat-topped red sandstone mountain on the grasslands of Otog Banner, preserving Tibetan Buddhist murals from the Western Xia to Yuan periods. A national key cultural relic site.
The Arjai Grottoes lie on the grassland around Arbas in Otog Banner, carved into the four walls of an isolated, flat-topped red sandstone mountain. Dozens of caves and relief-carved stone stupas survive. The caves preserve Buddhist murals from the Western Xia, Yuan and Ming periods, with subjects including esoteric Buddhist images, Mongolian donors and funerary scenes, and captions in Uyghur and Mongolian. Known as the “Dunhuang of the grassland,” the site is said to be connected with Genghis Khan's campaign against the Western Xia. It is a national key cultural relic protection unit. A temple ruin on the summit overlooks the grassland. It is about 230 km from Kangbashi, roughly a 3-hour drive, so plan to leave early and return late. Some caves are not open to the public, and opening hours and tickets should be confirmed on site.
Opening hours
Open during the day; check on site for details
Nearby sights
- Qixing Lake, Kubuqi Desert
- Suboerhan Grassland
- Engebei Eco-tourism Zone
- Salawusu Site & Batu Bay
- Qin Straight Road Site (Dongsheng Section)
- Jiuchenggong Resort
- Ordos Museum
- Kangbashi Central Axis & Genghis Khan Square