This paper uses bibliometric methods to analyze the research progress and popular topics in the international research literature on cave temples and ancient murals published between 1908 and 2022 that is collected in the China National Knowledge Infrastructure （CNKI） and Web of Science （WOS），and then renders the results in quantitative and visual form. The results show that the research papers published in the CNKI and WOS databases can be divided into three stages of development：an embryonic stage，a development stage and a growth stage. The most obvious recent trend is that the number of papers published annually has increased rapidly in the past decade. In terms of number of papers published，the top two countries are China and Italy，while several European countries like Spain and Britain，and Asian countries like Japan and India，also rank quite high. In terms of the quality of academic papers，those from European countries are generally superior to those from Asian countries. In the CNKI database the papers are concentrated in periodicals like Dunhuang Research and Cultural Relic Conservation and Archaeological Science，while in the WOS database，the Journal of Cultural Heritage ranks first and is followed by several high-quality journals in the fields of geotechnical mechanics，geological engineering and environmental science. In terms of academic disciplines，the papers in CNKI are mainly related to archaeology，tourism and religion，while those in WOS are more focused on analytical chemistry，spectroscopy and material science. In terms of research organizations，the domestic Chinese institutions are led by the Dunhuang Academy and Lanzhou University while the more prominent international institutes are primarily located in Italy，Spain and France. Most of the “top 10” authors in the CNKI database are from the Dunhuang Academy，while in the WOS，a large number of high-quality papers are attributed to Spanish authors. Funding for research in China mainly comes from the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the National Science and Technology Support Program，while in Europe，the majority of funding comes from the European Commission and the Spanish government. Finally，the focuses of research in the CNKI are primarily centered around cave temples，the Mogao Grottoes and cultural relic conservation，while the papers in the WOS are focused on murals，paint pigments and Raman Spectra analysis. Based on the above research trends，this analysis predicts that future research will likely focus on the topics of risk monitoring， weathering prevention，water hazard management，and biological damage prevention and control. Significant breakthroughs in conservation theory，conservation materials，key technologies，academic standards and specifications，equipment research and the development of cooperative multidisciplinary research will be especially important to the future of the field.