音乐窟
莫高窟第220窟位于莫高窟九层楼南，又名“翟家窟”，建于公元642年。甬道南壁龛外墨书翟氏“检家谱”，即翟氏一家较为简明扼要的家谱。敦煌翟氏家族不仅开凿了这一洞窟，其后300年间还对此窟进行了维护。本窟是莫高窟初唐洞窟的代表，壁画线描、色彩、晕染均属中原一脉，其场面恢宏、色彩瑰丽、人物形象真实，反映出大唐开国的博大胸怀和繁华富丽的景象。
此窟南北壁绘通壁大幅经变画。在北壁和南壁的东、西方净土变中，中央绘佛和菩萨等主要人物，下方平台上是乐舞场面，舞伎们正在表演西域传来的舞蹈，乐伎们在两旁伴奏，整个画面洋溢着佛国的欢乐气氛。壁画反映了当时宫廷舞乐盛况，共绘乐器50多件，其中埙的图像，莫高窟仅此一例，花边阮仅见两例，故此窟又被称为“音乐窟”。
The Music Cave
Cave 220 of the Mogao Caves, located south of the Nine- Story Building, is also known as the "Zhai Family Cave" and was built in 642. The ink inscription on the southern wall of the corridor describes Zhai's genealogy with a concise record of the family lineage. The Dunhuang Zhai family not only excavated the cave but also maintained it for the following 300 years. This cave is a representative example of early Tang-dynasty caves in the Mogao Caves, characterized by its line drawings, colors, and shading that reflect the artistic traditions of the Central Plains. The grand scenes, vibrant colors, and realistic depictions of figures reflect the broad vision and opulent splendor of the founding of the early Tang Dynasty.
This cave features full-wall sutra transformation paintings on its northern and southern walls. The central compositions portray the Buddha and Bodhisattvas as the primary figures within the Eastern and Western Pure Land transformations depicted on these walls, while the lower platform displays scenes of music and dance. Dancers perform in Western Regions styles, presumably, accompanied by musicians on either side. The entire scene radiates a joyful atmosphere of the Buddhist realm. The murals reflect the grandeur of court music and dance during that time, depicting over 50 musical instruments. Notably, the depiction of the xun(a type of ancient Chinese vessel flute) is unique to this cave, and the image of the flower-bordered ruan(a plucked string instrument) appears only twice in the whole Mogao Caves, hence the name "Music Cave".
