The Kizil Caves are a Buddhist cave complex near Kucha, famous for murals created along Silk Road routes in what is now Xinjiang, China.
The caves were excavated in the cliffs of the Muzat River valley and were used from roughly the 3rd to the 8th centuries. Their paintings depict Buddhist stories, donors, musicians, celestial figures, and architectural scenes. The art reflects interaction among Indian, Iranian, Central Asian, and Chinese traditions.
Kizil is particularly important for the history of Tocharian-speaking communities and the cultural networks of the northern Tarim Basin. Many murals were damaged, removed, or dispersed during the 19th and early 20th centuries, when foreign expeditions collected material from Central Asian sites.
Kizil Caves are sometimes confused with the Mogao Caves at Dunhuang. Both belong to the wider Buddhist cave tradition connected with Silk Road exchange, but they are different sites in different parts of the Tarim Basin and Gansu corridor.