city-caves-desert-countryside

this is day 6 of my program's week-long trip.


Many tourists flock to Dunhuang because of the Mogao Caves.
Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos inside the caves, but the one in this photo houses an enormous Buddha! Upon entering,  I only came up to the Buddha's foot, so maybe that would help you scale it. Starting from the 4th century, monks carved out these caves for places of worship. Over the years, some of the caves have been destroyed, but the Mogao Cave Institute is now trying their best to perserve them. The caves range in size, but each one is a work of art. The walls of these caves are completely covered with miniature Buddha paintings and the centerpieces are usually statues. 


After visiting the caves, we spent many hours on the bus as it traversed the Gobi Desert. Periodically, we would get out to see different sites that were important during the time of trade on the Silk Road. We saw the Jade Gate Pass and the part of the Great Wall from the Han Dynasty. This part of the wall was pretty low and it seemed to be made of mud and straw. Not so sure if it kept many enemies out...


We spent the night in a village. We stayed at the house of our tour guide's parents and since we were far from the city, we were able to see the stars sparkling.