• Burmese
Friday, May 16, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
26 °c
Ashburn
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News Burma

Bagan Readies for Unesco Listing with Ambitious Data Collection Project

May Sitt Paing by May Sitt Paing
July 27, 2015
in Uncategorized
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0 0
A A
Bagan Readies for Unesco Listing with Ambitious Data Collection Project

Hot air balloons glide over the temples in central Burma’s Bagan. (Photo: Reuters)

3.3k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

RANGOON — Hard work lies ahead for Burma’s Ministry of Culture as preparations continue for a bid to recognize the ancient temple complex of Bagan as an Unesco World Heritage Site.

Deputy Culture minister Sandar Khin announced on Friday that the ministry will soon undertake a comprehensive data collection project in the Bagan Archaeological Zone, which spans about 26 square km (16 miles) and contains some 3,000 pagodas.

Complete maintenance and historical records for all of the zone’s pagodas, stupas and other religious edifices will be collected to determine how many structures remain in their original form and what preservation might entail. The Ministry estimates that about 400 structures remain unchanged.

RelatedPosts

Skulls, Smoke and Spirits: Thai Ceremony Honors the Unclaimed Dead

Skulls, Smoke and Spirits: Thai Ceremony Honors the Unclaimed Dead

April 29, 2025
426
KIO/KIA’s Unspoken Objective in Myanmar’s Revolution: Uniting the Kachin Into a Nation

KIO/KIA’s Unspoken Objective in Myanmar’s Revolution: Uniting the Kachin Into a Nation

December 9, 2024
3.4k
Myanmar Junta Arrests Critic As Furor Over ‘Anti-Hindu’ Film Goes Viral

Myanmar Junta Arrests Critic As Furor Over ‘Anti-Hindu’ Film Goes Viral

October 31, 2024
1.6k

Sandar Khin did not say exactly when the data collection project will begin or when it is expected to be complete, remarking only that “it will take time” because of the sheer number of artifacts at the site.

The data collection survey, which will be broken down into categories measuring the amount and quality of restoration work that has already been done, is required to proceed with efforts to add the site to the Unesco heritage list.

Old Bagan is one of Burma’s biggest tourist draws, charming visitors from across the globe with 360 degree views of ancient Buddhist relics dotting the horizon. Built between the 9th and 11th centuries under the rule of the Bagan Dynasty, the area’s thousands of pagodas house more than 100 stucco paintings and 460 murals that are in urgent need of protective measures.

Shoddy restoration work undertaken by the former military regime left many of the structures in poorer condition, and some original artistry was forever lost.

Minor earthquakes regularly rock the plains of central Burma, though a severe quake in 1975 was the first to cause serious damage. Flooding, vandalism and rapid development also pose urgent threats to the site. Sandar Khin stressed the need to educate locals and tourists to prevent litter and graffiti, both becoming ever more visible along the dusty floors and pagoda walls.

The governments of Japan and Italy will both be assisting Burma’s bid to achieve Unesco World Heritage status, and will provide some financial support to increase security on the site, she added.

Burma has nominated 14 sites for inclusion on the World Heritage List, including Mandalay’s ancient kingdoms and Mrauk U in Arakan State. Thus far, only one site—the ancient cities of Pyu—has been admitted o the list. Experts envision a Bagan listing to be approved within the next few years.

Your Thoughts …
Tags: A_FactivaCulture
May Sitt Paing

May Sitt Paing

The Irrawaddy

Similar Picks:

Myanmar Civil Society, Burmanization, and the Bars and Coffee Shops of Thailand
Guest Column

Myanmar Civil Society, Burmanization, and the Bars and Coffee Shops of Thailand

by R. J. Aung and Tony Waters
November 18, 2023
10.8k

After the 2021 coup the donors, NGOs and CSOs of ‘Peaceland’ decamped from Yangon to Thailand, but their Western, ‘we-know-best’...

Read moreDetails
Charting Myanmar Strongman Ne Win’s Tragic Legacy
Books

Charting Myanmar Strongman Ne Win’s Tragic Legacy

by Mon Mon Myat
July 18, 2024
7.9k

In a new book, Saw Eh Htoo and Tony Waters examine the late dictator’s policy of Burmanization and how it...

Read moreDetails
A Compelling Chronicle of Myanmar’s Rich Cinematic History
Books

A Compelling Chronicle of Myanmar’s Rich Cinematic History

by Bertil Lintner
May 20, 2024
3.4k

Films have always provided Myanmar people with a way “to look at the past through a fancy new lens but...

Read moreDetails
KIO/KIA’s Unspoken Objective in Myanmar’s Revolution: Uniting the Kachin Into a Nation
Guest Column

KIO/KIA’s Unspoken Objective in Myanmar’s Revolution: Uniting the Kachin Into a Nation

by Zung Ring
December 9, 2024
3.4k

Successful Kachin nation building will require the participation of all Kachin groups.

Read moreDetails
Myanmar Junta Arrests Critic As Furor Over ‘Anti-Hindu’ Film Goes Viral
Burma

Myanmar Junta Arrests Critic As Furor Over ‘Anti-Hindu’ Film Goes Viral

by The Irrawaddy
October 31, 2024
1.6k

Local Indian community leaders slam romantic comedy screened over Diwali as racist.

Read moreDetails
Inspiring Women of Burma  
Burma

Inspiring Women of Burma  

by The Irrawaddy
March 18, 2016
33.5k

The contributions of some of Burma’s leading female figures are highlighted in the final part of a series that ran...

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
Win Myo Thu: ‘Deforestation is Particularly Worrying’

Win Myo Thu: ‘Deforestation is Particularly Worrying’

Tikka Hun: Pictures Worth a Thousand Words

Tikka Hun: Pictures Worth a Thousand Words

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

How Myanmar Junta Uses Air Force to Fight Its Corner

How Myanmar Junta Uses Air Force to Fight Its Corner

3 days ago
1k
Three Japanese Firms Ditch Myanmar Port Project

Three Japanese Firms Ditch Myanmar Port Project

13 hours ago
824

Most Read

  • Ousted Myanmar Envoy to UK Charged With Trespass in London Residence Row

    Ousted Myanmar Envoy to UK Charged With Trespass in London Residence Row

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Three Japanese Firms Ditch Myanmar Port Project

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Resistance Briefly Captures Junta Battalion HQ in Bago

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Death Toll From Myanmar Junta Airstrike on School Rises to 24

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Soft Soil, Old Buildings and Junta Rule: How Yangon Became a Seismic Timebomb

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.