Dunhuang

This article about Dunhuang was quite long, and to be honest I was forced to skim over it due to my courseload this week, so this blog entry will not be as detailed as the rest. I apologize. Okay. Now, on the the entry.

As I read the first page of this, I realized that I had actually heard of this cave of 1000 Buddhas before, and always dreamed of going to see it, but never could remember where it was located, so that was a fun little fact to begin with. It was interesting to know that over the years these caves have been continuously re-painted over and over up until the mid 1300's, and that people only really re-discovered it and began showing interest in the late 1700's. With a marvel such as the many caves, one would have thought there would have been attention much earlier then that. Then there is the cave 17, which is referred to as a library. It had many untouched bound scrolls that were probably hidden in order to protect them, and when they were found, they held many interesting things like letters which can now be read today. These caves are a fascinating as they contained things also like sculptures, a pair of slippers and other things that are rare to find, and yet, in these majestic caves, there was a wealth of history, to help us imagine what life may have been like. It is unlike almost any other site, and still continues to be a valuable place for archaeologists today.