The Mogao Grottos of China are often referred to as an “art gallery in the desert.” For more than a thousand years, untold numbers of kings, merchants, monks, and nuns called the nearby desert oasis of Dunhuang home. Not far from town they sponsored the excavation and decoration of nearly 500 caves, each of which was bedecked in paintings that depicted Buddhist iconography, local folktales, and life along the Silk Road. Historian Justin M. Jacobs traces the history of the grottos, analyzes the wall paintings, and discusses the controversial fate of a secret “cave library” that was discovered in the early 20th century.

Jacobs is a professor of history at American University.

Additional UNESCO World Heritage Sites Programs

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