The Baizeklik Thousand Buddha Caves are on the northwestern side of the Flaming Mountains facing a river valley, and are only 15 km north of the ancient Gaochang City and 45 km east of Turpan. These caves are one of the largest Buddhist ‘grotto’ (or Shiku, meaning grottoes or caves carved out of the mountain’s face to house Buddhist statues) sites in Xinjiang.
The heyday of the caves was during the end of the Gaochang state in the 13th century before the kingdom was moved to Gansu province, after which, the area’s people were converted to Islam and the caves were subject to attack and fell into disrepair.
Most of the statues and frescos here have either been destroyed by Muslims or by foreign adventurer-explorers, the most notorious of which was Albert von Le Coq. He stole numerous frescoes, a wall at a time, and shipped them off to Berlin for display, only for them to be destroyed in WWII bombing of Berlin. The caves of today are only a glimmer of their previous glory. Nevertheless the surrounding scenery is quite nice, so it’s worth a trip.
How to get there: The easiest way to see many of the sights in the countryside around Turpan is to hire a minibus for the day. This should cost between RMB 300-RMB 500 for six people and your driver should take you to many of the sights around the area. Drivers cruise the streets of Turpan looking for customers.
Cost: Admission is RMB 20.
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