The Thousand Buddha Caves of Shengjinkou

The Thousand Buddha Caves of Shengjinkou are located about 40 kilometers northeast of Turpan City. They are the ruins of Buddhist temples dating from the Tang to the Yuán Dynasty. There are four cave complexes in total: two situated on the mountainside and two at the foot of the mountain. The site includes 10 caves built from adobe bricks, some of which feature murals. The ceilings are adorned with lotus flowers, bare trees with crows, vines laden with grapes, and weeping willows in the shade, all framed by swirling cloud motifs, as well as images of a thousand buddhas. Most of the caves bear inscriptions in the Uyghur script. One of the caves features a wall with a Uyghur-language Buddhist scripture. In addition, the courtyard at the foot of the mountain houses a main hall and monks' quarters, where Brahmi-script documents, Sanskrit and Chinese Buddhist scriptures, as well as Tang Dynasty "Kaiyuan Tongbao" coins have been discovered.