What is the famous Mogao Caves art complex near Dunhuang, China, also called?

The Mogao Caves are also called the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas.

The Mogao Caves form a major complex of Buddhist cave temples near Dunhuang in Gansu province. They contain wall paintings, sculptures, inscriptions, manuscripts, and architectural remains created over many centuries. Their location on routes linked to the Silk Road helped Dunhuang become an important meeting point for religious, artistic, and commercial exchange.

The caves are especially famous for painted murals and clay sculptures, whose styles reflect changing dynasties and contacts across Central and East Asia. A sealed library chamber discovered in 1900 preserved thousands of manuscripts and paintings, including the Diamond Sutra printed in 868, although that book is distinct from the cave complex’s general name.

The nickname “Caves of the Thousand Buddhas” is a traditional English rendering of a Chinese name. Mogao is not the same site as the Longmen or Yungang grottoes, which are separate monumental Buddhist complexes.