The Kizil Caves (also romanized Qizil Caves, spelling variant Qyzyl; Uyghur: Qizil Ming ?y; Chinese: Ф?︱瑌; pinyin: K?z??r Qi?nf? D?ng; literally 'Kizil Cave of a Thousand Buddhas') are a set of 236 Buddhist rock-cut caves located near Kizil Township (Ф??) in Baicheng County, Xinjiang, China. The site is located on the northern bank of the Muzat River 75 kilometres (by road) northwest of Kucha. This area was a commercial hub of the The Silk Road. The caves are said to be the earliest major Buddhist cave complex in China, with development occurring between the 3rd and 8th centuries. Although the site has been both damaged and looted, at least 1000 square metres of wall paintings - mostly Jataka stories - remain.