Yungang Grottoes

By far the greatest attraction of the area is the 1,500-year-old Yúngāng Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. These mountain-side caves and recesses are filled with 51,000 Buddhist statues - the largest being a 56-foot Seated Buddha while the smallest is only a few centimetres tall. In addition to the carvings of the Buddha, there are also scenes depicting Buddhist teachings and famous monks. Unlike Dunhuang grottoes, most caves here permit photography, (notably excepting caves 5&6). The entrances to caves 5 and 6 are fronted by wooden temple structures. The cave walls at these entrances were damaged by graffiti during the cultural revolution although the majority of the site is well-preserved. At least you get the impression that the caves are mostly ancient/original and not reconstructed.