Myanmar | Angkor Photography Tours

The lost Temples of Mrauk-U in Myanmar

On June 14, 2017 / Myanmar

Mrauk-U is a relatively unknown and probably the most underrated archeological site in South-East Asia. It is located in the western state of Rakhine in Myanmar (Burma). Rakhine state is a narrow strip of land bordered on the Bay of Bengal on the west and by Bangladesh on the north.

Mrauk-U has an interesting landscape as it sits on a valley with numerous mounds and interconnected creeks, moats, canals and artificial lakes.

Founded in 1430 A.D, Mrauk-U became after Launggret the center of the powerful Arakan Empire for more than 300 years until 1785 and an important cultural and commercial hub.

Mrauk-U, named the “Golden City” by early Europeans (Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch) traders and missionaries who the center of trade for elephants, rice. It is also known as the fortress city due to its 30 kilometers of fortifications built around it.It is also called Little Bagan because it has pagoda and temples.

Mrauk-U archaeological site is centered on the old palace and divided in four main groups: western, eastern, southern and northern, the latter being the most important. You can buy a 5000 Kyats pass (less than USD 4) for the temples at Mrauk U, sold at the Shittaung Pagoda.

The temples of Mrauk-U are not as impressive as the ones in Bagan, but their beauty are hidden: you can stroll for hours inside them looking at colored carvings . You can have also many temples by yourself and with some tenacity found new ones which are not on the map. As locals are living within the ruins, you will have many opportunities to interact with them and take beautiful portraits.

The most popular temples in Mrauk-U are Kothaung temple (also called the little Borodudur), Andaw temple

In his last visit to Mrauk-U in december 2016, Kofi Annan (who sits on the advisory commission on Rakhine state) strongly advocated for Mrauk-U’ UNESCO World Heritage Status.

There is no direct flight from Yangon at the moment and the construction of the new airport is being halted due the lack of funding. The only way to get to Mrauk-U is by a 4 to 5 hours scenic ferry ride on the Kalandan river from the city of Sittwe, by bus or private car. With only 4,000 visitors in the temples of Mrauk-U in 2016, you are sure to have most of the temples for yourself.

If you enjoyed exploring the other archeological sites in South-East Asia (Angkor, Bagan, Borodudur,Sukhothai, Ayutthaya) it is time to go to Mrauk-U before it gets its fame back. Temples are best explored by bicycle or by foot especially the ones in the Northern group, but to move between all the groups it is recommended to have a private transport.

Sunset with some of the temples of Mrauk-U

One of the many beautiful temples of Mrauk-U

Buddha statues inside Andaw Thein temple

Stone carving in Shittaung Pagoda

Beautiful carved wall inside Shittaung temple

Enigmatic Buddha in the temples of Mrauk U

The amazing interior of Koe-Thaung temple

Young burmese girls in the temples of Mrauk-U with Thanaka

Local woman going back home at the sunset

Old Colonial Architecture in Yangon Myanmar

On April 25, 2017 / blog, Myanmar

Yangon is the city with the highest density of colonial buildings in South East Asia. Known as Rangoon, it was the capital of Burma between 1824 and 1948 and one of the province of the British India Empire. It witnessed a rich architectural development during this period following different styles: Art Deco, Edwardian, Victorian and British-Burmese.

Many buildings were built for Scottish companies like Burmah oil, Brothers & Co, A. Scott&Co, Messrs Bulloch Brothers & Co to name a few which operated successful businesses in oil, import/export of commodities, shipbuildings, etc…

Natural disasters (the earthquake of 1930, cyclone Nargis in 2008) and the bombings of Word War II inflicted severe damages to the city and many buildings were lost forever.

The isolation of the country for 50 years after the military coup of 1962 did not help. With all these events, it is actually surprising that so many colonial buildings are still standing today. In 2005, many government offices were moved to the new capital Naypyidaw, about 350 km north of Yangon and definitely closed.

Nowadays, many large colonial buildings are occupying downtown, along Merchand and Strand roads, and also on Pansodan street. Some of them have been renovated like Aya bank headquarters, City Hall or the Strand Hotel, a famous five stars built in 1901.

This photo essay is focusing on the beautiful and neglected colonial buildings which will either disappear or being restored in the coming years.

Because of safety concerns some places such as the Pegu Club are not open to the general public anymore. Some others, like the secretariat building, are under renovation.
Entering a neglected colonial building in Yangon is like taking a time machine and one cannot help wondering how it was back then when these places were home of powerful trading houses, banks or offices.

Nowadays, small business offices are sometime occupying premises and bring some life to these places. Some private buildings have interiors in fairly good condition and can be accessed after of course seeking the authorization from the owner.

The state of disrepair of some buildings is such that trees start growing on the walls and entire structures have collapsed.

You can spend hours wandering in the streets of Yangon looking for unlocked buildings. It is not uncommon while exploring these locations that a friendly local gives you a bit of history about the places, they understand their potential to attract tourists interested in colonial architecture.

Founded in 2012, the Yangon Heritage Trust (YHT), has for goal to identify and preserve colonial architecture in Yangon. YHT installed blue plaques on buildings with historical significance to raise awareness among the public, the first one was installed in 2014 at the City Hall.

In 2017, Yangon is at a crossroad and time will tell if authorities in charge manage to save this unique architectural heritage in South-East Asia.