Atlas of China
Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves 柏孜克里克千佛洞Bózīkèlǐkè Qiānfó Dòng
National heritage site · Turpan, Xinjiang
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Days to budget
- Half a day
- City
- Turpan
- Region
- Xinjiang
- Type
- Heritage
- Listed as
- National heritage site
About Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves
Cut into a cliff above the Mutou Valley in the Flaming Mountains, Bezeklik was a Buddhist cave monastery used from about the 5th to the 14th century and served as a royal temple of the Uyghur Qocho kingdom; 83 caves survive, more than 40 with murals. Many paintings were cut away by foreign expeditions in the early 20th century and are now in museums abroad, but murals of Buddhas, bodhisattvas and Uyghur donors remain in the open caves, and since May 2026 the route climbs from the monks' living area to the caves, taking in a stupa ruin and Cave 9. Four caves of the nearby Shengjinkou Grottoes, part of the same protected site, opened to visitors in April 2025 with a daily limit and real-name booking.
How to get to Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves
In the Mutou Valley about 40 km east of central Turpan by road; reach it by taxi or hired car.
Nearby
- Turpan & Jiaohe Ruins 吐鲁番交河故城 40 km
A 2,000-year-old city carved out of a river island, in China's hottest basin
Also within 20 km: Boxiha Caves 伯西哈石窟 (under 10 km), Flaming Mountains 火焰山 (under 10 km), Astana Cemetery 阿斯塔那古墓群 (under 10 km), Taizang Pagoda Ruins 台藏塔遗址 (under 10 km), Gaochang Ruins 高昌故城 (10 km), Tuyoq Valley 吐峪沟 (20 km).
On the map
Open Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves on the illustrated map to see the terrain around it and what else is close, and to add it to a trip.
Open Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves on the map