The mysterious face of 200 caves north of the Mogao Caves has been unveiled and will be made into a new tourist route, said Fan Jinshi, the dean of the Dunhuang Research Institute.
Situated at a strategic point along the Silk Route at the crossroads of trade as well as religious, cultural and intellectual influences, the 492 cells and cave sanctuaries in Mogao are famous for their statues and wall paintings, spanning 1,000 years of Buddhist art.
But what are these caves for? The most influential discovery from the last century suggested they were the residences for painters or sculptors.[Full Text]