Dunhuang

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Dunhuang, a dry place; lies in an irrigated cotton-producing oasis. Mogao Ku (Mogao Grottoes), one of the few famous grottoes in China situated some 25km southeast of Dunhuang town. Mogao Ku consists of 492 caves (not all open to the visitors). The first cave was built by Monk Lezun in 366 & the last ones carved out at the time of the Mongolian conquest in 1277. After that the Magao sunk into oblivion, until Monk Wang Yuanlu settled here at the turn of 20th century. He found more than 40,000 manuscripts in Cave No.17 & sold 6500 manuscripts to a Hungarian-British explorer Sir Aurel Stein between 1907 and 1914. A Frenchman bought a further 6000 manuscripts. All manuscripts found in Mogao Ku is classified under national treasures. Some of the paintings dates back 1600 years old in one of the caves.

Other tourist attraction si Dunhuang are Cesent Moon Lake & Mingsha Shan (Singing Sand Mountain)., situated 6km south of Dunhuang.

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