Bozikelike Qian Fo Dong (Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves)
The setting of Bezeklik Caves, in a ravine deep in the Flaming Mountains, is more spectacular than the contents of the caves. Bezeklik was stripped by several German expeditions -- led by Albert Grünwedel and his nominal understudy, Albert von Le Coq -- and relocated to the Museum für Indische Kunst in Berlin. Grünwedel was reluctant to remove Buddhist antiquities, but Le Coq deemed it essential for their preservation, sparing them from Muslim iconoclasts and practical-minded farmers who would scrape off paintings for use as fertilizer. Nearly all the large wall paintings were destroyed during Allied bombing raids on Berlin in 1943 and 1945. What little is left, particularly in Cave 39, hints at a distinctly Indo-Persian style. The newJourney to the Weststatue outside is rather special.
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| Hours | Summer 9am-8:30pm; winter daylight hours | |
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| Prices | Admission ¥20 ($2.50) | |