Many Chinese scholars believe that the geographical location of the Mogao Caves at Dunhuang in northwestern Gansu Province has played an important role in preserving one of the world's great storehouses of Buddhist art.

The caves, carved out of the rocks, stretch for about 1,600 meters along the eastern side of Mingsha Hill, 25 km southeast of the town of Dunhuang in the northwest desert corridor of Gansu.

"These caves show the talent and wisdom of the ancient people in choosing a site for carving the grottoes," said Hu Xiaohong, an associate professor with the Northwestern Institute for Nationalities.

The caves face east and are spared the strength of the west wind during winter. The Sanwei Mountain, which faces the caves across the Dangquan River, is a natural shelter protecting the caves from being damaged by wind and sand, according to Hu.

Wang Jinyu, a researcher with the Dunhuang Research Institute, says the location of the Mogao Caves, far away from downtown Dunhuang, reflects the ideology of Buddhism which emphasizes the integration of Buddha and nature.

The trees around the caves also protect the grottoes from direct sunlight radiation.

It is generally accepted that the first of the Mogao caves, known as the Thousand Buddha Cave, was created by a Buddhist monk named Le Zun in the year 366.

In spite of protracted natural erosion and man-made destruction, 492 caves cut out over the course of a thousand years, throughout the Sixteen Kingdoms, Northern Wei, Western Wei, Northern Zhou, Sui, Tang, the Five Dynasties, Song, Western Xia, and Yuan dynasties, are still preserved, with frescoes covering an area of 45,000 square meters, more than 2,000 colored sculptured figures, and five wooden eaves overhanging the caves.

Dunhuang, a small 2,000-year-old town in northwestern China, was once an important caravan stop on the Silk Road linking Central Asia with China.