Sacred Cave Angels

Oil on canvas, 90 x 90 cm, 3000 USD

Uighurs were Buddhists, Nestorian Christians, and Manicheans before converting to Islam in the 10th century. When I visited the sacred Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves (Myn-Oy in Uighur) near the Silk Road oasis city of Turfan, I was awestruck by their wall paintings. Taking photographs or even sketching them while there was strictly forbidden. So I kept the memories in my mind and in my heart. The angels flying to heaven with love seem to come to life in this painting, along with the viziers, musicians, dancers, and fruit bearers.