ancient rock cut tombs, temples and monasteries often have been adorned with frescoes and reliefs. the high resistance of natural cliff, skilled use of plaster and constant microclimate often have helped to preserve this art in better condition than in conventional buildings. such exceptional examples are the ancient and early medieval frescoes in such locations as bamyan caves in afghanistan with the most ancient known oil paintings in the world from 8th century ad, ajanta caves in india with well preserved tempera paintings from 2nd century bce, christian frescoes on churches of göreme, turkey and numerous other monuments in asia, europe and africa.