吐峪沟石窟

Toyuk Caves - Toyok Caves - The Grottoes of Toyuk

Useful Information

Location:	Tuyugou Township, Shanshan County, Turpan City, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. (42.864280, 89.692565)
Open:	22-APR to 21-OCT daily 8-21. 22-OCT to 21-APR daily 10-18:30. [2026]
Fee:	Adults CNY 30. [2026]
Classification:	Cave Church, Buddhist cave temples
Light:	n/a
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	The Grottoes of Toyuk, Tuyugou Township, Shanshan County, Turpan City, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

3rd century	grottoes built.
14-15th century	grottoes abandoned.
2015	grottoes closed for the public for archaeological excavations.
2025	grottoes reopened for the public.

Description

The 吐峪沟石窟 (Grottoes of Toyuk) are a series of artificial caves which are located in a gorge along the famous Silk Road. They are also dubbed Thousand Buddha Caves. The name of the village seem to have a series of different transliterations like Toyuk, Tuyoq or Tuyugou. Toyuk is one of the oldest continuously inhabited Uyghur communities, The caves show early Buddhist murals which date from the 3rd to 14th centuries.