Kizil Thousand Buddha Caves

The Kizil Caves, also known as the Kizil Thousand Buddha Caves, are located on the cliff of Mingwutage Mountain in the southeast of Kizil Town, Baicheng County, Xinjiang. It is known as the 'ancestor of the eight sects of Chinese Buddhism', and the famous monk who is on par with Tang Xuanzang in the Buddhist world: Kumarajiva was born here. The Kizil Caves are more than two hundred years earlier than the world-famous Dunhuang Mogao Caves, and can be called the source of Chinese grottoes. The Kizil Caves are the earliest and westernmost large-scale grotto group in China, which was excavated approximately between the 3rd and 8-9th centuries AD, and the duration of its continuation is unique in the world. It was announced as the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units by the State Council in 1961, and was included in the 'World Heritage List' by the United Nations in 2014, and belongs to the world cultural heritage.