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[QUOTE]Originally posted by Mike111: [QB] The Mogao Caves or Mogao Grottoes also known as the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas, form a system of 492 temples 25 km (16 mi) southeast of the center of Dunhuang, an oasis strategically located at a religious and cultural crossroads on the Silk Road, in Gansu province, China. [IMG]http://realhistoryww.com/world_history/ancient/Images_China/Mogao_Caves/Mogao_Caves_0.jpg[/IMG] Dunhuang was established as a frontier garrison outpost by the Han Dynasty Emperor Wudi to protect against the Xiongnu in 111 B.C. It also became an important gateway to the West, a centre of commerce along the Silk Road, as well as a meeting place of various people and religions such as Buddhism. The history of these caves is inseparably linked with that of the first Chinese expeditions against the nomads of the Mongolian steppes and Central Asia. After the almost complete failure of the expedition of Zhang Qian in the ancient country of Bactria in 139-126 BC, a long section of great walls was built to protect the northern frontier. In 117 BC, military posts, like that of Dunhuang, were established. Two years later, the number of these command posts was doubled. Control of the Hexi pass and the oases route, which was the central segment of the Silk Route that connected China with the Mediterranean world, was the motivating factor in the incessant conflicts between the Chinese sovereigns and the nomads. Dunhuang would remain cut off from the Middle Empire for long periods at a time, and so constituted a cosmopolitan enclave where all the peoples of Asia mingled together. Many foreign religions were represented, and devotees of Buddhism, Nestorianism and Islam could be found in this caravan oasis. According to an inscription, Buddhist monks first began work on the caves of Mogao in AD 366, whereas the state officially recognized Buddhism as a religion only in 444. The majority of the cells and temples were constructed, however, from the 5th century up through the 14th century, when the region began to decline. Several great moments of the history of Central Asia are illustrated in the caves and frescos that illustrate doctrinal themes, reflecting transcendental teaching, correspond to the period in the 7th century when the Tang dynasty tightened its control of the Silk Route. [IMG]http://realhistoryww.com/world_history/ancient/Images_China/Mogao_Caves/Mogao_Caves_1.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://realhistoryww.com/world_history/ancient/Images_China/Mogao_Caves/Mogao_Caves_2.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://realhistoryww.com/world_history/ancient/Images_China/Mogao_Caves/Mogao_Caves_3.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://realhistoryww.com/world_history/ancient/Images_China/Mogao_Caves/Mogao_Caves_4.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://realhistoryww.com/world_history/ancient/Images_China/Mogao_Caves/Mogao_Caves_5.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://realhistoryww.com/world_history/ancient/Images_China/Mogao_Caves/Mogao_Caves_6.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://realhistoryww.com/world_history/ancient/Images_China/Mogao_Caves/Mogao_Caves_7.jpg[/IMG] [/QB][/QUOTE]
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