Mogao Grottoes
Commonly known as the Thousand Buddha Caves, first carved in 366 AD (Jianyuan Year 2 of Former Qin) when monk Le Zun saw golden light over Mingsha Mountain; built over a millennium across more than ten dynasties—Northern Liang, Northern Wei, Sui-Tang, Five Dynasties, Song, Western Xia, Yuan—with 735 caves, 45,000 square meters of murals, and painted sculptures 200…
Visitor info
- Opening hours
- 08:00-18:00 (timed-entry reservations)
- Ticket
- Peak season CNY 238 (incl. digital films) / off-season CNY 140
Price is indicative — final quote on inquiry.
Commonly known as the Thousand Buddha Caves, first carved in 366 AD (Jianyuan Year 2 of Former Qin) when monk Le Zun saw golden light over Mingsha Mountain and cut the first cave; construction continued for a millennium across more than ten dynasties—Northern Liang, Northern Wei, Sui and Tang, Five Dynasties, Song, Western Xia, and Yuan—leaving 735 caves, 45,000 square meters of murals, and over 2,000 painted sculptures, inscribed in 1987 among China's first World Heritage sites as the world's largest surviving treasury of Buddhist art. The 35.5-meter Maitreya Buddha inside the Nine-Story Building is one of the world's largest indoor clay seated Buddhas; in 1900 Taoist priest Wang Yuanlu discovered the Library Cave (Cave 17), whose more than 50,000 documents gave birth to 'Dunhuang studies.' Peak season runs on a timed-reservation system: watch the dome-screen films 'A Millennium of Mogao' and 'Dreamlike Buddha Palace' at the Digital Exhibition Center before touring the caves.
Getting there: transfer to the shuttle bus at the Digital Exhibition Center
Photos
More in Dunhuang
- Yulin Grottoes
Located on both banks of the Yulin River valley in Guazhou County, named for the elm groves along the river; part of the Dunhuang grotto art system together with the Mogao Grottoes, known as their "sister grottoes"
- Western Thousand Buddha Caves
Named for its location west of the Mogao Grottoes on cliffs beside the Dang River; Northern Wei caves carved as early as or contemporaneous with the Mogao Grottoes still survive, with more than 20 caves and niches remaining
- Dunhuang Academy History Exhibition Center
A specialized exhibition hall facing the Mogao Grottoes across the river, housing full-scale replicas of several representative caves (including classic caves not open to visitors) and displaying manuscripts and artifacts unearthed at Mogao
- Mingsha Mountain & Crescent Moon Spring
A millennia-old wonder of sand and spring coexisting — a crescent-shaped spring lake at the foot of Mingsha Mountain, embraced by surrounding dunes yet "the sand never encroaches on the spring"; recorded in Han and Tang documents, and in the Qing dynasty "Yuequan Xiaoché (Clear Dawn at Crescent Spring)" was listed among the Eight Scenic Sights of Dunhuang
- Shazhou Night Market
A night market in central Dunhuang, named after ancient Shazhou, open from dusk until late at night
- Yangguan Pass Scenic Area
A strategic gateway on the southern route of the Silk Road, established as a pass under Emperor Wu of Han; Wang Wei's verse "I urge you to drink one more cup of wine — west of Yang Pass you'll meet no old friends" made it immortal