Bizaklik Thousand-Buddha Caves
( 2005-09-13 )

Many of the caves were destroyed during the ensuing religious clashes or robbed of much of the treasures by foreign explorers. The surviving parts, such as the delicate Buddha seat and the bright color of the murals, reveal a hint of its past glory.
Even today, one can still see on the remaining Buddhist murals the features of the King and Queen of Huihu and people of different status, as well as scenes of the lives of ancient Uygur people. Inscriptions in the ancient Huihu, Chinese, and Brahmi languages are valuable materials for research on the written languages and history ofXinjiang's various nationalities, and Uygur in particular.

In addition to the murals and inscriptions, a piece of gold foil wrappingpaperfound at the caves is also intriguing. A stamp on it revealed the address of the shop on the south side of Taihelou Street (in today'sHangzhouof East China'sZhejiang Province) of the Song Dynasty. It also advised clients to examine their goods carefully before purchase to avoid being cheated. The foil is clear evidence of Huihu Gaochang's close economic ties with the Song Dynasty as the trade extended as far as to the East China Sea.