URUMQI, May 18 (Xinhua) -- After about an hour's drive east from downtown Baicheng in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, a yellow cliff with hundreds of caves emerges. The Kizil Caves are thought to be one of China's first large-scale grotto groups.
The Kizil Caves, which were built in the third century, are typical Qiuci grottoes.
Qiuci was a Silk Road kingdom that merged Chinese, Indian, Islamic, and European cultures.
The Qiuci grottoes, which include the Kizil Caves, Kizilgaha Caves, and other grotto groups, are evidence of the ancient Silk Road and Qiuci civilization. The unique mural paintings inside the grottoes are typical depictions of ancient Qiuci culture and prove the East-West exchanges.
↑The Kizil Caves
