From 1222 to 1223, Yilu Chucai, a famous poet in the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) and the Taoist patriarch Qiu Chuji toured the Silk Road and vividly described the local customs and folk culture in Xinjiang and Central Asia. Italy's famous adventurer Marco Polo came to Yuan's capital Dadu (now Beijing) along the Silk Road in 1275. In his journal notes, he gave a detailed description about the local custom and culture in Pamirs, Kashi, Shache and Hotan.
On the Silk Road, many passes, castles, grotto caves, tombs, posthouses and beacon towers were well maintained. So far, there are 14 grottoes and 990 caved found in Xinjiang. Among these grotto caves, there are four large ones including the LarKirtz Aqianfo grottoes. The sculpture and murals in these grottoes integrate Chinese, Indian and Persian culture and feature special artistic styles. Apart from Buddhist art work, these grottoes also reflect the production and living condition of ancient people.