Bizaklik Thousand-Buddha Caves

The Bizaklik Thousand-Buddha Caves stand high on the west cliffs of the Mutou Valley under the Flaming Mountain, only 15 kilometers north of th eancient Gaochang City and 45 kilometers northeast of Turpan urban area. The Bizaklik Thousand-Buddha Caves have the most grottoes, most diversified architectural styles, and richest mural contents in the Turpan area, and became an important cultural unit protected by the state in 1961.

The oldest caves began construction in the Qushi Gaochang period (449-640), and were called the Ningrong Grottoes in the Tang Dynasty(618-907). It was then an important Buddhist gathering place.

The heyday of the caves was under the reign of the Huihu Gaochang (from the Tang Dynasty right up to the Yuan Dynasty(1271-1368) in the 13th century) before the kingdom was moved to today's Gansu Province of Northwest China, after which, the area's people were converted to Islam and the caves were subject to attack and fell into disrepair. Most of the existing grottoes were extended or reconstructed during the Huihu period and have remained the original style.

Most of the statues and frescos here have either been destroyed by Muslims or by foreign adventurer-explorers. The caves of today are only a glimmer of their previous glory.

Of the 83 existing caves, 57 caves currently remain. The murals cover an area over 1, 200 square meters (12,917 square feet) in more than 40 caves.

Beginning in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the construction experienced the Tang,Five Dynasties, Song (960-1279), and Yuan periods. The Caves had been the Buddhist center of Gaochang. Near the end of the 13th century, the royal family of Gaochang moved to Yongchang, Gansu. Around this same time,Buddhism in Turpan began to decline in popularity with the introduction of Islam. Subsequently, the religious importance of the Bizalkik Thousand-Buddha Caves lessened.

Many of the caves were destroyed during the ensuing religious clashes or robbed of much of the treasures by foreign explorers. The surviving parts, such as the delicate Buddha seat and the bright color of the murals, reveal a hint of its past glory.
Even today, one can still see on the remaining Buddhist murals the features of the King and Queen of Huihu and people of different status, as well as scenes of the lives of ancient Uygur people. Inscriptions in the ancient Huihu, Chinese, and Brahmi languages are valuable materials for research on the written languages and history of Xinjiang's various nationalities, and Uygur in particular.

In addition to the murals and inscriptions, a piece of gold foil wrapping paper found at the caves is also intriguing. A stamp on it revealed the address of the shop on the south side of Taihelou Street (in today's Hangzhou of East China's Zhejiang Province) of the Song Dynasty. It also advised clients to examine their goods carefully before purchase to avoid being cheated. The foil is clear evidence of Huihu Gaochang's close economic ties with the Song Dynasty as the trade extended as far as to the East China Sea.