As an important part of the Dunhuang Caves, the Eastern Thousand-Buddha Grottoes contains many important Buddhist relics from the Western Xia period. In July 2018, the Archaeology Institute of the Dunhuang Academy cleaned the site of the Buddhist altar in Cave 5 in preparation for urgent mural conservation work, having already understood the form and structure of the altar. Some fragmental statues, murals, and various other relics were unearthed in the process.
