Belzik Caves at Turpan

Another site at Turpan which escaped the Mongols invasion are the Belzik Caves a short way from Turpan up a remote valley. It is difficult to take photos of the caves which were dug into the side of the cliffs. Caves are fairly well preserved and have doors on each cave to keep the remains clean and safe. An explorer, Stein, a British citizen in the early 1900's with 300 camels removed many of the murals, Buddhist statues and art from these caves and are now in museums in Europe today. Much remains to be seen yet including the Buddhist Monks residences along the river below the cliffs. The above photos were taken from the cave entrances of the river and cliffs across from the caves.