天水古称“秦州”，位于甘肃省东南部，是古丝绸之路上的重镇。这里相传是西周时期秦部落先祖的发迹之地。秦人自古善于畜牧、狩猎和养马。由于养马有功，周孝王将秦地封给秦人首领非子，故非子又称“秦嬴”。公元前221年，秦始皇嬴政统一中国后，始置“秦州”。汉武帝元鼎三年（前114），置“天水”郡。此名源于城西有一泓湖水，以“夏不增，冬不减，旱不涸，涝不溢”而远近闻名，古人传为“天河入池，神奇之水”。
　　丝绸之路开通后，天水成为商贾云集交易的重镇之一。唐代开元年间，天水繁盛一时，被称为“千秋聚散地”。在漫长的古丝绸之路历史上，天水发挥了重要的门户和驿站作用。据《大慈恩寺三藏法师传》载，唐玄奘西去印度拜佛取经，曾途经天水，“过秦州，停一宿”，至今在天水还流传着许多关于唐僧取经的传说。
　　作为丝路重镇，西域文化的东传在天水留下了许多宝贵的印记。以“东方雕塑馆”闻名于世的麦积山石窟就位于天水市境内。麦积山石窟是中国四大石窟之一，始凿于南北朝时的后秦，距今已有1600多年历史，现保存有194个洞窟，石雕造像7200余尊，壁画1300多平方米。石窟中保存的后秦至清代的历代凿窟和造像，风格各异，精美绝伦。除了麦积山石窟外，天水还有甘谷大像山、华盖寺、武山水帘洞、木梯寺、禅殿寺等众多石窟，一同组成了丝绸之路东段的“石窟走廊”。
　　＞Tianshui
　　Situated in the southeast of Gansu Province,Tianshui was known as Qinzhou in ancient times.As a major town along the Silk Road,it was believed to be the original site where the Qin Tribe's ancestors thrived during the Western Zhou Period.These Qin's ancestors were good at animal husbandry,hunting and ranching.To award their extinguish contribution in ranching,Emperor Xiao of the Zhou Dynasty conferred the place to Feizi,head of the Qins,known as Qinying.In 221 B.C.when Emperor Yingzheng,the first Emperor of the Qing Dynasty unified China,Qinzhou was officially established as an administrative unit.In the 3rd year of the Yuanding Period during Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty(114 B.C.),Qinzhou was known as Tianshui(heavenly water).The name originated from a lake situated west of the city.The lake was famous for its〝stable water levels during all seasons,winter or summer,droughts or floods".Ancients believed that this〝wonderful lake water must have come from Heaven".
　　After the opening of the Silk Road,Tianshui became one of the major towns for merchants to visit and conduct trade.Tianshui reached its prime time during the Kaiyuan Period of the Tang Dynasty and was known as the〝Trade Center of All Times".In the long history of the ancient Silk Road,Tianshui played an important role as a gateway and a posthouse.According to the book The Biography of Monk Xuan Zang of Da Cien Temple,Monk Xuanzang traveled westward to India to worship Buddha and to bring back Buddhism scriptures,the monk stayed in Tianshui for one night.Stories about the monk and his pilgrimage to the west are still very popular in Tianshui nowadays.
　　As one of the major cities along the ancient Silk Road,Tianshui has kept many precious memories of the eastward spreading of cultures from the Western Regions.Known as the famous〝Oriental Sculpture Museum",Maijishan Grottoes are located within the Tianshui territory.As one of the four major group grottoes in China,digging of the Maijishan Grottoes started by the Later Qin during the Northern and the Southern Dynasty Period,dating back more than sixteen hundred years.Now Maijishan Grottoes host one hundred and ninety-four caves with more than seven thousand and two hundred stone statues and one thousand and three hundred square meters of mural paintings.Statues carved are exquisite and of various styles,dating from the Northern and the Southern Dynasties to the Qing Dynasty.Apart from Maijishan Grottoes,there are also many other grottoes such as those at the Gangu valley of Daxiangshan,Huagai Temple,Waterfall Cave at Wushan,Wooden Ladder Temple and the Meditation Temple,all of which are located in the territory of Tianshui.Together they form a〝Grotto Corridor"in the eastern section of the Silk Road.