Myanmar eyes world heritage listing

YANGON  Myanmar’s government and Arakan State authorities will adopt measures to preserve the old Arakanese capital of Mrauk-U to prepare the site for nomination for the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Ministry of Culture’s Archeology Department general director, Kyaw Oo Lwin, told The Irrawaddy media that the department has worked with state authorities since late last year to carry out digital mapping and improve preservation of Buddhist temples and palace grounds.
He said the steps were part of a government plan to nominate the site with the help of UNESCO officials and other foreign experts.
“To become UNESCO World Heritage listed, we need to take at least four and a half years to prepare before we can apply for inclusion on the list. This is the minimum period.”
inside no 1The director added it was important for the UNESCO nomination process to describe and preserve how local communities have been living among and with the monuments in Mrauk-U.
“We have to quantify the temples, old sites and survey the living culture of residents in this area too.”
The Arakan State government had committed about USD670,000 to the nomination process this year and another USD500,000 next year, he said adding that the central government could offer little in the way of funding support for the process.
Mrauk-U is located on the Kaladan River in northern Arakan State, some 60 km inland from the state capital Sittwe.
The site used to draw thousands of tourists annually, until inter-communal violence between Arakanese Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims erupted in mid-2012, displacing tens of thousands of people, mostly Muslims, in Sittwe and surrounding townships, including Mrauk-U Township.
Following the violence, authorities closed the old city to visitors. The ban was lifted but very few tourist visit the area now.
From the 15th century to the late 1800s, Mrauk-U was the seat of Arakanese kings, who at the height of their power controlled an area covering large parts of eastern Bengal, modern-day Arakan State and the western part of lower Burma. Much of the city’s remains are well-preserved and some 380 historic temples are scattered between the lush hills of northern Arakan.
In June last year, UNESCO accepted the first inscription of a Myanmar heritage site; the Pyu Ancient Cities in Prome, to be included on the World Heritage List.

sourced:traveldailynews.asia