Ah-ai Grotto

The Ah-ai Grotto (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 in April 1999, while on his way to collecting medicinal herbs. 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.

Cave data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).