Mogao Caves, DUNHUANG, CHINA

Dunhuang, located in China’s Gansu Province on the edge of the Gobi Desert, was once a vital Silk Road outpost. It is best known for the Mogao Caves—492 grottoes carved between the 4th and 14th centuries and filled with Buddhist murals and sculptures that document a thousand years of political, cultural, and religious life in western China. Dunhuang art blends Han Chinese traditions with influences from India, Gandhara, the Turks, Tibetans, and other groups, creating a distinctive style. Many of these works are considered masterpieces of exceptional skill.

The Gobi, is one of the world's great deserts, and a camel ride is a must. Join group tours, with camel drivers and ride across Echoing Singing-Sands Mountain after your visit to the Mogao Caves, Dunhuang, China

Mogao Caves Entrance to the 492 cells and cave sanctuaries situated on a strategic point along the Silk Route at the crossroads of trade as well as religious, cultural and intellectual influences, Dunhuang, China

Riding camels through the Dunhuang Buddhist Cemetery on the way to visit the Mogao caves, Dunhuang, China

A Bodhisattva part of a fresco, Tang Dynasty, in cave 45 of Mogao Caves, Dunhuang, China

The entrance gate to the Mogao Caves, from the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), Dunhuang, China

Buddha statue, Tang Dynasty, at the Mogao grottoes in Dunhuang, China.

Dunhuang Mogao cave 96 is the most impressive it reflects the prosperity and the style of the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), The colossal Maitreya Buddha is 35.5 meters or 116 feet high it is the third largest Buddha in the world.

A spectacular 55-foot reclining Buddha statue focus's on attaining Nirvana from the Tang dynasty period c. 820 AD rests in Cave 158 of the Mogao Caves.

The Mogao Grottoes has one of the most important collections of Tang dynasty (618–907 AD) buddhist sculpture in the world and served as a religious and cultural crossroads for the Silk Road for over 15 hundred years

Mogao cave 148, The colossal statue of Sakyamuni attaining Nirvana, with his head to the south, and his feet to the north,

The colossal statue is a 60-foot reclining Buddha from the Tang dynasty, (618–907 AD) Mogao Caves, Dunhuang, China

The Mogao Grottoes are recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Assembly Hall, Buddha from Mogao Cave 45, Tang Dynasty 781 AD

Assembly Hall, Painted sculpture from Cave 45, of Mogao Caves, Tang Dynasty 781 AD

Amitabha Buddha, painted in Mogao Cave 220 in the Early Tang Dynasty, 707-710 AD,

The Gobi Desert is a large cold desert grassland region in northern China and southern Mongolia, it's the sixth largest desert in the world.

The Gobi Desert is noted for it's Singing Sand Dunes known as the Duut Mankhan from the sound they make when the sand is moved by the wind, they are up to 300 meters or 984 feet high.

The Gobi Desert is a vast and arid region and it's known for its spectacular sand dunes, mountains and rare animals such as snow leopards, Bactrian camels, and black-tailed gazelles.

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