Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 20, 2026

Simsim Caves

The Simsim Caves, also called the Caves of Senmusaimu, are decorated Buddhist caves in the area of Kucha, Tarim Basin, China. Other famous sites nearby are the Ah-ai Grotto, Kizil Caves, the Kizilgaha Caves, the Kumtura Caves, and Subashi Temple.

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Jul 20, 2026
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Painting from Simsim Cave 48.1 source ↗

The Simsim Caves, also called the Caves of Senmusaimu (Chinese: 森木塞姆石窟; pinyin: Sēnmùsāimǔ shíkū), are decorated Buddhist caves in the area of Kucha, Tarim Basin, China. Other famous sites nearby are the Ah-ai Grotto, Kizil Caves, the Kizilgaha Caves, the Kumtura Caves, and Subashi Temple.23

References

References

  1. Howard, Angela; Vignato, Giuseppe (10 November 2014). Archaeological and Visual Sources of Meditation in the Ancient Monasteries of Kuča. BRILL. p. 130. ISBN 978-90-04-27939-1.
  2. (Other than Kizil)... "The nearby site of Kumtura contains over a hundred caves, forty of which contain painted murals or inscriptions. Other cave sites near Kucha include Subashi, Kizilgaha, and Simsim." in Buswell, Robert E.; Lopez, Donald S. (24 November 2013). The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism. Princeton University Press. p. 438. ISBN 978-1-4008-4805-8.
  3. Vignato, Giuseppe (2006). "Archaeological Survey of Kizil: Its Groups of Caves, Districts, Chronology and Buddhist Schools". East and West. 56 (4): 359–416. ISSN 0012-8376. JSTOR 29757697.
External links
Sources

Sources

  • Zhongguo Xinjiang Bihua Quanji 5: Keziergaha Senmusaimu 中国新疆壁画全集 5: 克孜尔尕哈 森木赛姆 [Complete Collection of Xinjiang Murals 5: Keziergaha Senmusaimu Grottoes] 中国壁画全集编辑委员会 Zhongguo Bihua Quanji Bianji Weiyuanhui. Tianjin, 1995; ISBN 7531412969 (Tianjin Renmin Meishu 天津人民美术)
  • Peter Hopkirk: Foreign Devils on the Silk Road: The Search for the Lost Cities and Treasures of Chinese Central Asia. The University of Massachusetts Press, Amherst 1980, ISBN 0-87023-435-8.
  • Zhongguo da baike quanshu: Kaoguxue. Beijing: Zhongguo da baike quanshu chubanshe, 1986

41°46′06″N 83°23′56″E / 41.7683°N 83.3989°E / 41.7683; 83.3989