Matisi Grottoes, Buddhist cave complex in Sunan, China.

The Matisi Grottoes are a group of seven Buddhist cave sites in the northern foothills of the Qilian Mountains, in Sunan Yugur Autonomous County, Gansu. The complex holds over 70 caves, more than 500 statues and about 200 square metres of murals. The sites include the Northern and Southern Mati Monasteries, the Thousand Buddha Caves, the Jinta Monastery and the Upper, Middle and Lower Guanyin Caves.

The caves began at Xiegu, where the scholar Guo Yu lived and taught during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. In 401, Juqu Mengxun founded Northern Liang and large-scale carving started, producing the Thousand Buddha Caves and Jintasi. Major restorations occurred in 1524 and 1898, and the site was listed as a national cultural relic in 1996.

The name Matisi means "Horse Hoof Monastery": a hoof print in the rock is attributed by Chinese legend to the god Erlang's horse and by Tibetan tradition to King Gesar's steed. The Tibetan Mati tribe settled south of Zhangye after the An Lushan rebellion, giving several places the name Mati. In Cave 8, the "Horse Hoof Hall", a central pillar is surrounded by Ming-dynasty murals.

The site lies about 65 km south of Zhangye's city centre, on the west bank of the Mati River in Mati Tibetan Township. Cave 3 of the North Matisi Monastery, 42 m high, has been closed since 2002 because of a rock fissure between its second and third levels. The complex is scattered over dozens of kilometres in the northern Qilian foothills, so plan transport between the separate cave groups.

The name "Horse Hoof Monastery" comes from a hoof-like mark in the rock. Chinese legend attributes it to the horse of the god Erlang, while Tibetan tradition links it to the steed of the hero-king Gesar. The mark is said to lie in front of Cave 8, the Mati Hall of the Northern Mati Monastery.