Conservation of Ancient Sites on the Silk Road: Proceedings of the Second International Conference on the Conservation of Grotto Sites, Mogao Grottoes, Dunhuang, People's Republic of China, June 28–July 3, 2004

Neville Agnew

gush 2010 · Getty Publications

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The Mogao grottoes, a World Heritage Site near the town of
Dunhuang in western China, are located on the edge of the Gobi Desert, along
the ancient caravan routes—collectively known as the Silk Road—that once linked
China with the West. Founded by Buddhist monks as an isolated monastery in the
late fourth century, Mogao grew gradually over the following millennium, as
monks, local rulers, and travelers carved hundreds of cave temples into a
mile-long rock cliff, and adorned them with vibrant murals portraying episodes
from Buddhist scripture, luxuriant portraits of Silk Road rulers, and richly
detailed scenes of everyday life. The Mogao caves developed into a spiritual
and artistic mecca whose renown extended from the Chinese capitals to the far
western reaches of Central Asia.

 

Today there remain more than 490 grottoes, the walls of
which are decorated with some 45,000 square meters of wall paintings, making
Mogao one of the world’s most significant sites of Buddhist art. This volume
contains the proceedings of the second conference on the conservation of Silk
Road grotto sites cosponsored by the Getty Conservation Institute and the
Dunhuang Academy, under the aegis of the State Administration of Cultural
Heritage of the People’s Republic of China.

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