The Mogao Caves(Caves of the Thousand Buddhas , or Caves of Dunhuang ) are a system of Buddhist cave temples near the city of Dunhuang in Gansu province, China. “Mogao” means high up in the desert. The caves contain some of the finest examples of Buddhist art spanning a period of 1,000 years.

According to Tang Dynasty records, a monk had witnessed on-site a vision of thousand Buddhas under showers of golden rays. He started the caves construction work that spanned ten dynasties.Other pilgrims and travelers followed for the next thousand years.

The Mogao Grottoes contain priceless paintings, sculptures, some 50,000 Buddhist scriptures, historical documents, textiles, and other relics. The styles applied are typically from Indian-Buddhist schools.

Some sutras as big as 65 square metres, and encompassing a whole wall.

Despite erosion and man-made destruction, the 492 caves are well preserved, with frescoes covering an area of 45,000 square metres, more than 2,000 colored sculptured figures and five wooden eaves overhanging the caves.

Today, 220 of the Tang caves remain.  Today, the site is an important tourist attraction and the subject of an ongoing archaeological project.

The Mogao Caves became one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1987.