Dy-doped ZnO nanowires embedded in anodic alumina membranes (AAM) were fabricated by a novel sol–gel template technique. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and selected area electronic diffraction demonstrate that the as-obtained nanowires can be indexed to hexagonal Wurtzite polycrystalline. The diameter of the nanowires is about 70 nm. The photoluminescence of as-obtained nanowires was also discussed.