| Ah-ai Grotto | |
|---|---|
 Mural figures on the left side wall | |
| Location | Xinjiang, China |
| Discovery | Discovered by Tudi Azze in 1999 |
| Entrances | 1 |
The Ah-ai Grotto (Chinese: 阿艾石窟; pinyin: Ā ài shíkū) is a small, standalone Buddhist rock-cut cave located in the Kyziliya Grand Canyon, Kuqa, Xinjiang. The area is under the administration of Ah-ai Town, hence its name. The grotto was discovered by a young Uyghur shepherd named Tudi Azze (吐地阿孜) in April 1999, while on his way to collecting medicinal herbs.[1]
Compared with other famous sites in Xinjiang, such as Bezeklik Caves or Kizil Caves, the small Ah-ai Grotto is not widely known. The cave murals have suffered from vandalism.[2]
- ^ Jiang, Yanfeng (1 April 2021). 地球上的火山峡谷 [Volcanic Canyons on Earth] (in Simplified Chinese). Beijing: Beijing Book Co. Inc. ISBN 9787999016564.
- ^ Wang, Jianlin, ed. (25 September 2019). 龜茲文化詞典 [A Dictionary of the Kuchan Culture] (in Traditional Chinese). Taipei: Stephen Ye Culture. ISBN 9789576819438.