Foto: One of the Mogao Caves (bron: Ronald van der Veer)
China - All tourists who visit Dunhuang come for the Mogao Caves. The Buddhist caves lie several tens of kilometers outside the city of Dunhuang. At the entrance, the guide is already waiting for me. I may call her Betty. She wears a transmitter. I receive a receiver and an earpiece so I can follow her. A nice system because different guides do not have to shout over each other. The different groups can walk mixed together. The Mogao Caves are protected by UNESCO. To protect the frescoes in the hundreds of caves, only a few caves can be visited. The caves open to visitors rotate annually. Betty shows some Buddhist caves from different dynasties. She tells that Buddhist monks created about 1,000 caves in the sandstone cliffs here between the 4th and 12th centuries. All caves have Buddha statues, sculptures, and murals. 492 caves have been preserved. I also visit the library cave. This cave was rediscovered by accident in 1900. In the 11th century, the caves were sealed off to prevent destruction by the Mongols. Betty ends the tour with two special caves. In the first is a Buddha statue 34 meters high—one of the largest Buddha statues in the world. In the other cave, there is a huge statue of the reclining Buddha. An impressive whole. In the nearby museum, I read the history and see photos of the restoration.
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