Kizil Grottoes

These were created as Buddhism thrived between the 3rd and 8th centuries and were the first major grottoes created as Buddhism spread to China.

The Kizil Grottoes' 235 caves are 60 km southeast of Baicheng county, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. They contain murals and written documents in many ancient languages, although many were pillaged by foreign explorers early last century.