Research on the Relationship between Environment and Deterioration in Cave Temples

摘要

THE AIM OF OUR RESEARCH ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ENVIRONMENT AND DETERIORATION IN CAVE TEMPLESThe earliest caves were created at the Mogao Grottoes at Dunhuang in the latter half of the 4th century.Construction continued at the site for approximately 1,000 years,until sometime after the middle of the 14th century.However,the earliest caves are no longer extant,and up until about 60years ago,the front sections of most of the cave temples had fallen away,thus exposing the Buddhist sculptures and wall paintings inside the caves and burying the fronts of the cave temples under the fallen sand and stone debris.Thus the 1,500-year history of the grottoes has been etched onto the site in the midst of its harsh natural environment.