Tuesday, August 5, 2025

China - Xinjiang - Kizil Buddhist Caves


Kizil Buddhist Caves
The Kizil Caves were inscribed in 2014 on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor.

Sent by Jingtairan from Shenyang, China.

The Kizil Caves (also romanized as Qizil or QyzylUyghurقىزىل مىڭ ئۆيlit.'The Thousand Red Houses'; Chinese克孜尔千佛洞lit. 'Kizil Caves of the Thousand Buddhas') are a set of Buddhist rock-cut caves located near Kizil Township (克孜尔乡Kèzī'ěr Xiāng) in Baicheng County, Aksu Prefecture, Xinjiang, China. The site is located on the northern bank of the Muzat River 65 kilometres (75 km by road) west of Kucha. This area was a commercial hub of the Silk Road. The caves have an important role in Central Asian art and in the Silk Road transmission of Buddhism, and are said to be the earliest major Buddhist cave complex in China, with development occurring between the 3rd and 8th centuries CE. The caves of Kizil are the earlier of their type in China, and their model was later adopted in the construction of Buddhist caves further east. Another name for the site has been Ming-oi (明屋), although this term is now mainly used for the site of Shorchuk to the east (read more).

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