Mati Temple — Attraction in Mati Tibetan Ethnic Township

A place that is really impressive but rarely mentioned in Gansu tours. In my opinion, the grottoes here gives me more impressions than Mogao grottoes, because the architecture still retains much of its ancient form, while in Magao was restored much different. I didn't see many other non-Chinese people coming to this place. If you come to Gansu under the tour, you should ask the local guide to get there, as the Mati area...

Very amazing. We visited just before tourist season and had the place to ourselves. My brother drank the lucky water from the well with some of the monks that lived there. This was an amazing experience and I could not recommend it more. There are also beautiful fields nearby...

位在張掖南方的肅南裕固族自治縣，從市區出發大概1小時的車程，沿路都是農村景色，雖然有著祁連山脈陪伴，但我早早就打起瞌睡，剛好在抵達售票口時醒來，下車買了馬蹄寺的套票，包含千佛洞，三十三石窟與格薩爾王宮，三處景點一共RMB58，另外還要支付停車費用RMB5，而正當我要上車的時候，順口問了下李師傅是否需要找講解員來講解，他是説最好是找一位來，這樣比較能了解整個佛窟的來龍去脈，想想也是，一位解説員也才RMB50，如果沒人解説，那我門票也幾乎是白花啦。

幫忙講解的是一位穿著傳統服飾的裕固族女性，據李師傅説她可是馬蹄寺內最好的講解員，跟著我們上車後，要到第一個景點，位在售票口附近的千佛洞。

在入口處的右手邊，可以看到大大小小的石窟，較大的石窟內都雕刻著藏傳佛教的佛塔，藏傳的佛塔，在塔頸部位會刻著十三層的圓形階梯，代表著佛祖修成正果的十三個階段，這是藏塔的獨一無二之處。車停在佛寺門口，我們便往里走，首先見到馬蹄寺石窟特殊之處，在崖壁上的幾座佛寺，都是直接在石窟內開鑿，然後佛寺就跟崖壁融為一體。在這處佛窟內，最值得一看的就是編號第六號的佛窟，里頭三尊石雕的造像，是沿著崖壁上所開鑿出來的石雕，也是河西走廊這些佛窟內唯一的石雕佛像，在唐朝時候開鑿，各是釋迦牟尼佛與兩位弟子迦葉與阿難，雕刻得相當精美，那種唐代豐腴的神韻，既便在象徵苦行僧的迦葉身上也能見著。

另外幾座寺廟內的佛像，都是屬於近代重新修建的金身佛像，較無特點可看，唯一值得提的是，在一座供奉藥師佛的佛寺，其洞窟內重新搭了一座木製樓梯，給遊客爬上去參觀藥師佛殿，這時我便好奇的詢問講解員，在沒有修建樓梯時，以前的僧人是要如何爬上呢?

答案就是，飛檐走...