Bezeklik Thousand-Buddha Caves to open new sections to visitors from May 1

Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily (Reporter Zhao Mei) news: The Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves in Turpan will adjust their visiting route starting May 1, the Turpan Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics said on April 21, 2026.

Several new sections will open to the public for the first time, including a pagoda ruin, the site where the "Stele of Yang Gong's Temple Restoration" was unearthed, and Cave No. 9.

A view of the Bezeklik Thousand-Buddha Caves in Turpan City, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The site will adjust its visiting route starting from May 1, 2026. (Photo by Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily/Zhao Mei)

The Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves are located in the Flaming Mountain valley, about 40 kilometers northeast of Gaochang District in Turpan.

The caves are as renowned as the Kizil Caves, the Dunhuang Caves, the Yungang Caves, the Longmen Caves and India's Ajanta Caves. They served as a royal monastery of the ancient kingdom of Gaochang and are considered a treasure of Buddhist cave art worldwide.

There are 83 existing caves, of which more than 40 contain murals. The caves are built on three levels. The upper level is the pagoda area, the middle level is the worship area, and the lower level is the living area.

A view of the lower-level living area at the Bezeklik Thousand-Buddha Caves in Turpan City, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo by Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily/Zhao Mei)

"In the past, visitors would walk down along the cliffside steps," said Li Huichao, head of the Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves Cultural Relics Management Office under the Turpan Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics. "After the route adjustment, visitors will follow the pilgrimage path used a thousand years ago, starting from the lower living area and moving upward."

The first open section in the living area is a pagoda ruin. It is a mud brick structure dating from the 13th to the 15th century, with a remaining height of 2.3 meters. The ruin is shaped like the Chinese character "亚". Three levels of the pagoda body remain, with 20 corners visible on each level. The structure tapers from bottom to top, with three edges on each of its four sides, offering a faint glimpse of its former glory.

The discovery site of the "Stele of Yang Gong's Temple Restoration" is located behind the ruins of Cave No. 80 at the Bezeklik Thousand-Buddha Caves in Turpan City, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo by Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily/Zhao Mei)

Behind a monastery ruin designated as Cave No. 80 is the site where the "Stele of Yang Gong's Temple Restoration" was unearthed.

The stele measures 75 centimeters high, 50 centimeters wide and 25 centimeters thick. It was severely damaged when excavated and is now housed in the Turpan Museum.

Scholars have determined from the inscription that the stele was erected sometime between 786 and 790 AD. The inscription refers to a senior official known as Yang Gong, who is believed to be Yang Xigu, a Jiedushi (military commissioner) of the region.

According to the inscription, Yang undertook major construction projects at the Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves, including corridors and caves, and planted grapevines extensively below the caves. Even today, grapevines can still be seen budding in the living area at the base of the caves.

A view of Cave No. 9 at the Bezeklik Thousand-Buddha Caves in Turpan City, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The cave is set to open to the public soon. (Photo by Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily/Zhao Mei)

"Yang Xigu was the last senior protector of the Beiting Protectorate and a Jiedushi of the region during the Tang Dynasty," said Chen Aifeng, deputy director of the Turpanology Academy. "His journey to Xizhou to restore the monastery confirms that the Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves was a Buddhist center in the area of Yizhou, Xizhou and Tingzhou during the Tang period."

Chen also said that the discovery of the stele indicates that although the Tang Dynasty's rule over the Beiting area had collapsed by the sixth year of the Zhenyuan era (790 AD), the Beiting Protectorate continued to effectively administer Xizhou.

A view of the murals inside Cave No. 9 at the Bezeklik Thousand-Buddha Caves in Turpan City, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo by Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily/Zhao Mei)

Another newly opened section on the middle level of the caves is Cave No. 9, which is also well worth visiting. The cave features a central pillar design and dates from the 9th to 10th century.

Entering the cave, the statues on the main wall have been destroyed, but the remnants beneath them, including a Dharma wheel, a reclining deer and seaweed-like plants, remain vivid. The two side walls are painted with images of aristocratic female donors and monks. At the rear of the corridor, a bodhisattva statue with a solemn expression wears a high bun. Hairstyles include curled hair draped over the shoulders and braided hair adorned with delicate ornaments.

"The painting style here is primarily influenced by Central Chinese art, while also incorporating elements from Kizil and Central Asian art," said Chen. "It is of considerable importance to research on the historical and cultural heritage, and the artistic development and transformation, of Turpan and Xinjiang as a whole."

Jin Ling, Party secretary of the Turpan Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics, said the new visitor route will allow tourists to experience the art of the cave temples while also giving more people a chance to see historical remains such as the "Stele of Yang Gong's Temple Restoration." The murals and artifacts of the caves themselves bear witness to the coexistence of multiple ethnic groups and religions in Xinjiang.

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