Toyuq Village
(By Tsem Rinpoche)
Turpan, Xinjiang
Toyuq is an Islamic pilgrimage center, located about 25km east of Gaochang at the base of the Flaming Mountains (Huoyan Shan). Shrines in the locality honor the first Uighur ruler to convert to Islam, as well as depict a local version of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus. The photo in the left background is the village’s main mosque (green roof and dome). As raisins are one of the major products of the region, the building with pierced walls that is used for drying grapes to make raisins as shown in the foreground (photo right) can be seen virtually everywhere here.
Below are some featured carvings and statues in Toyuq cave:
Toyuq Buddhist Caves
The Buddhist grottoes at Toyuq date from the fifth to the tenth centuries AD when the Uighurs converted to Islam. The river, winding down from the mountains, would have provided water and greenery to sustain the resident monks.
Ceiling, Cave 41 c.400 AD
The ceiling of this early cave consists of a square apex, now destroyed, trapezoidal ceiling panels with standing Buddhas, and Thousand-Buddha motifs in alternating square and oval cartouches on the walls below. The tall Buddhas stand upon oval shapes, and are sheltered beneath honorific umbrellas; their bodies are surrounded by halo-mandorlas.
Source: http://www.art-and-archaeology.com/china/china.html
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Toyuq, located 50 km east of Turpan a unique city in the Flaming Mountains.From all sides the city is surrounded by deserts and mountains, destroyed medieval towns and ruins of ancient settlements. Toyuq, an Islamic pilgrimage center, nestles at the base of the Flaming Mountains. Here there are many mosques, both medieval and modern ones been built over the years. The first Uighur ruler had converted to Islam, and shrines was then built in the locality honouring the ruler. There was a story behind the legendary Seven Sleepers of Ephesus where there was a group of youths hiding inside a cave, at the Flaming mountains outside the city of Ephesus around 250 AD. Buildings can be seen practically everywhere with pierced walls that is used for drying grapes to make raisins. Raisins and melons are most known products of the region. Turpan is one of the most densely populated cities in Xinjiang the popukation consists of mainly the Muslim Uyghurs.
Thank you Rinpoche for this interesting post with many interesting history dated to 6,000 years ago.
Beautiful architecture of a small village ….Toyuq located in the Tianshan Mountain range in Xinjiang province . It is one of the hottest geographical features in the world and one of the world’s most famous tourist sites. Buddhist cave temples in Xinjiang , are named after the Toyuq community ,dated from the 5th to the 10th centuries AD, when the Uighurs are converted to Islam. The Buddhist caves dug into the hillside were truly amazing. But sadly it was destroyed . Looking at the ancient ceiling panels tells a thousands words. Together with the ceiling panels with standing Buddhas, and Thousand-Buddha motifs and many more paintings were also destroyed. is one of the hottest geographical features in the world and one of the world’s most famous tourist sites.
Thank you Rinpoche for this sharing.
Amazing architecture of a small village Toyuq, located 50 km east of Turpan in the Flaming Mountains. Amazing ancient Buddhist caves dug into the hillside dated as far back as 3rd century AD. Well….they are the oldest in Xinjiang. With an interesting history behind this village. Buddhism spread here from India along the ancient Silk Road but declined after the Turkic Muslim conquests in the late 13th century. Many then converted to Muslim and a number of caves of ancient painting were destroyed. Amazing pictures of ceiling panels with standing Buddhas, and Thousand-Buddha motifs in the post . Its indeed a treasure trove of stone carvings and mural paintings .
Thank you Rinpoche for this sharing.
Very unique and beautiful architecture of a small village. The houses of the Toyuq Village is quite unique in a sense that it has pierced walls that is used for drying grapes to make raisins as raisins are one of the major products of the region. Thank you Rinpoche and blog team for sharing this article about Toyuq Village. ?
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this article about Toyuq Village. I am impressed and amazed with how the olden days people can built such beautiful caves with Buddha images on it. The houses of the Toyuq Village is quite unique in a sense that it has pierced walls that is used for drying grapes to make raisins as raisins are one of the major products of the region.
With folded palms,
Vivian
Wow unique and beautiful architecture of a small village. Located 25km east of Gaochang at the base of Huoyan Shan. Ancient carvings and statues of Budhha found in Toyuq cave back in 400 AD.when first Uighur ruler converted to Islam so as the Uighurs whom were Buddhist before.It show that Buddhism exist in the village long time ago.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing
The Uighurs (pronounced WEE-ger) are a fascinating ethnic group because linguistically, they are Turkish but the people seemed to originate from the Mongol Steppes of the Tarim Basin. It’s nonetheless interesting to see that they were once Buddhist but due to the degeneration of Buddhism lead to their conversion to Islam. This is also reflected in the conversion of much of south-east asia in earlier history. Whatever their reasons for conversion, it has not affected the other Mongol tribes of the area like the Oirats and later Kalmyks. (Rinpoche is of Kalmyk descent) They remained firm with their beliefs.
Toyuq village is an old, beautiful and timeless village with a friendly Uighur community who still dominate the small villages
around Turpan, many of which look medieval. The surrounding countryside is barren but the miracle of underground irrigation, which routes glacial waters from distant peaks, makes Toyuq verdant and fertile.
The place is unique because it is a holy place both for the Muslim and Buddhist community. The Bizeklik Thousand Buddha caves were once used to be an important center for Buddhist worship under the Xizhou Huigu government of the (Gaochang) Kingdom.
In recent years, this place has become a tourist attraction and one of a “must visit place” in the itinerary of Silk Road tours.
Toyuq is also known as Little Mecca and it is considered that you would have performed a half-pilgrimage if you make a pilgrimage to this place but then you would be known as “half-haji”.
This oasis is also well known for its elongated white grapes, known as Mare’s Nipple Grapes, which are highly valued as far away as Beijing.
This village was an oasis on the Silk Road. Buddhism was flourishing in Turpan 2300 years ago. I wonder how they converted Buddhism to muslin at that time.