January
04
/ 2021
Researchers have successfully dated a set of mysterious phrases discovered on the ceiling of a Tibetan tantric Buddhist cave temple in China. The Mogao Caves are located on the ancient Silk Road in Dunhuang, northwest China, on the edge of the Gobi Desert. This designated UNESCO World Heritage Site features sacred meditational environments with high ceilings covered with paintings and inscriptions, some dated to over 1000 years ago. Now, a research team using 3D spectral imaging equipment have scanned one of these Buddhist cave temples, and their high-resolution imaging of these ancient paintings and writings has solved several historical mysteries. How One Mogao Buddhist Cave Temple Was Dated Researchers from Nottingham Trent University were assisted by scientists from the Dunhuang
