The Mogao Caves are near which oasis city in Gansu, China?

The Mogao Caves are near Dunhuang, an oasis city in Gansu province, China.

Dunhuang stood at an important crossroads of the Silk Road, where routes around the harsh deserts of Central Asia met. That location helped the cave complex develop into a major Buddhist religious and artistic centre. The caves lie about 25 kilometres southeast of central Dunhuang.

Construction and decoration began in the fourth century, traditionally dated to 366 CE, when the monk Le Zun is said to have seen a vision of a thousand Buddhas in a golden light. Over many centuries, donors, pilgrims, rulers, and merchants added shrines, murals, sculptures, and manuscripts.

The name “Mogao Caves” is sometimes confused with “Dunhuang Caves.” Dunhuang Caves can be a broader label for several Buddhist cave sites in the region, while Mogao specifically refers to the best-known complex, also called the Thousand Buddha Grottoes. The city’s oasis setting was crucial to its survival as a Silk Road stop.