Bagan

Significance

Bagan is a sacred landscape on a bend of the Ayeyarwady River in Myanmar's central dry zone, which UNESCO describes as featuring an exceptional array of Buddhist art and architecture and as demonstrating centuries of the Theravada Buddhist tradition of merit making. It preserves evidence of the Bagan period (11th-13th centuries), when it was a regional capital. The inscribed serial property has 8 components and 3,595 recorded monuments (stupas, temples, monasteries and others), together with archaeological remains, inscriptions, murals and sculpture. It was inscribed in 2019 under criteria (iii), (iv) and (vi).

Current Status Rationale

Historical damage is documented in the site's record, but the current classification is based on present conditions and the most recent credible evidence. Present conditions: Bagan is a World Heritage property in a country in civil conflict, and the World Heritage Committee has twice (2025 and 2026) expressed concern about military activity affecting Myanmar's heritage and, in 2025, the property and its vicinity, asking for continued monitoring of the security situation. The 28 March 2025 earthquake appears, on the sources found, to have caused little visible damage at Bagan, but a comprehensive field assessment had still to be reported and the Committee asked in 2026 for continued monitoring so that early remedial action can be taken, so present condition rests largely on reports from national authorities and a preliminary satellite review. The 2016 earthquake, which damaged several hundred monuments, and the 1995-2008 reconstructions that weakened authenticity are recorded in events[] and in the conservation threat; repairs were reported as largely complete by 2020 (single secondhand source) and the Getty and the Committee describe ongoing conservation work, so that history does not by itself drive the current status. Chronic management issues (hotels, road works, heavy-machinery excavation of water channels) are being worked through the UNESCO reporting process, with a reporting deadline of 1 December 2028. Supporting Moderate rather than High: no documented fighting at the property, no Danger List inscription, and a functioning management framework. Confidence is Supported rather than Confirmed: the Committee's concerns are directly documented, but independent on-the-ground verification of current monument condition and of how military activity affects the site is limited, the 2026 State of Conservation report could not be read, and the SOC pages appear to rest largely on State Party reporting. Confidence does not change the status.

Conservation or other pressures are documented, but without imminent risk to the site. Credible sources support this status, with some limits on corroboration.

Threat Categories

Historical Timeline

1. 1995/2008
   Large-scale reconstruction campaign of Bagan monuments

   Kraak (2018) reports that between 1995 and 2008 approximately 1,299 monuments were completely reconstructed using concrete and steel that did not follow international conservation standards, while many Buddhists regarded the work as meritorious. A UNESCO official later said incompatible materials such as concrete had replaced lime mortar and that some 2016 earthquake damage resulted from earlier restoration work. The figure is the author's and the date range as summarised in the retrieved abstract.

   Sources: DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma), International Journal of Heritage Studies 24(9)

2. 2016-08-24
   Magnitude 6.8 earthquake damages Bagan monuments

   A magnitude 6.8 earthquake centred about 15 miles west of Chauk damaged monuments across the Bagan plain, including Sulamani, Ananda, Htilominlo, Shwesandaw and Lawkananda. Counts differ by source and date: Myanmar's Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture was reported by the Irrawaddy as saying 449 of 3,252 temples were affected; the Department of Archaeology counted 389 damaged as of the end of October 2016 (via the Japanese survey); the Getty describes over 400 structures. Counts use different baselines (3,252 temples vs UNESCO's 2019 figure of 3,595 recorded monuments). The Irrawaddy reported on 25 August 2016 that the Bagan archaeology department said it had asked the army to halt clearing until experts gave the go-ahead; UNESCO officials had asked that affected temples remain untouched until damage was documented.

   Sources: Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, The Irrawaddy, The Irrawaddy, Getty Conservation Institute

3. 2016-10/2016-11
   Japanese expert survey of earthquake damage

   A team of eight specialists from the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, commissioned by Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs, surveyed damage from 26 October to 10 November 2016. It found damage concentrated on recently reconstructed sections and boundaries between old and new repairs, with pre-existing age deformations aggravated by the shaking, and noted prompt emergency protective measures by local authorities.

   Sources: Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties

4. 2017-04
   Repairs of least-damaged monuments reported complete

   The Irrawaddy reported that by April 2017, 224 of the least-damaged structures had been fully repaired, with a target of completing all repairs by 2020. Funding cited: 5.7 billion kyats in local donations and 1.1 million US dollars in international donations. An official said repairs followed local and international expert recommendations and were not being rushed.

   Sources: The Irrawaddy

5. 2018-03
   Renovated pagoda No. 1066 partly collapses

   DVB reported, citing Myanmar's Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture, that about 70 percent of Pagoda No. 1066 collapsed, attributed by the ministry to excess weight on its walls. The pagoda had been renovated in 1996 and again after the 2016 earthquake, which had cracked its walls.

   Sources: DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma)

6. 2018-08
   Major earthquake repairs reported about halfway

   A Department of Archaeology deputy director told the Irrawaddy that more than 200 pagodas with minor damage had been restored within two years, that work on major-damage sites such as Sulamani and Thatbyinnyu was about halfway, and that completion was expected by 2020. The official described emergency restoration as complete and continuing restoration as 90% done, with strengthening work 50% complete.

   Sources: The Irrawaddy

7. 2019
   Bagan inscribed on the World Heritage List

   At the 43rd session (Baku) the Committee inscribed Bagan under criteria (iii), (iv) and (vi) in decision 43 COM 8B.20. The decision acknowledged that authenticity had been impaired by inappropriate interventions in the 1970s and 1990s and by earthquake damage, and requested a set of actions to be completed by 1 December 2021.

   Sources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNESCO World Heritage Centre

8. 2020-07
   Repairs of 2016 earthquake damage reported nearly complete

   An aggregator summarising a Myanmar Times report stated that, as of July 2020, repairs on the earthquake-damaged structures were nearly complete under the supervision of the Department of Archaeology and Culture. This is a single, secondhand report and was not corroborated by a UNESCO document in this pass.

   Sources: Southeast Asian Archaeology (aggregator, citing the Myanmar Times)

9. 2023-05
   Cyclone Mocha affects the property

   The Committee's 2023 decision (45 COM 7B.44) and the 2023 State of Conservation report record that tropical cyclone Mocha affected the property in May 2023 (the decision says it 'may have affected' the property and its Outstanding Universal Value; the SOC says the assessment was still ongoing). The sources reviewed do not state the extent of damage.

   Sources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNESCO World Heritage Centre

10. 2025-03-28
    Magnitude 7.7 earthquake in central Myanmar

    A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the Sagaing region on 28 March 2025. UNOSAT's preliminary satellite analysis recorded no visible damage at the Bagan World Heritage Site, UNESCO's 2025 SOC page quotes a report of only minor damage and small cracks in internal walls of some pagodas and stupas, and UNESCO's spokesperson said soon after that the precise impact on Bagan was difficult to verify. Hyperallergic also cited local testimony on a Burmese-language news site that at least six pagodas were damaged (unverified).

    Sources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNOSAT (United Nations Satellite Centre), hosted by MIMU, Hyperallergic

11. 2025-07
    World Heritage Committee decision 47 COM 7B.82 on Bagan

    The Committee expressed condolences for the March 2025 earthquake and called for international support and asked UNESCO to facilitate a damage assessment as soon as conditions allow, recalled that authenticity must guide repairs, expressed concern over the impact of military actions on the property and its vicinity, welcomed progress on the draft Hotel Strategy and encouraged suspension of construction and commissioning of impact assessments for hotel projects not yet started or at an early stage, and requested a halt to heavy-machinery excavation in ancient water channels. It asked for an updated report by 1 February 2026. It did not inscribe Bagan on the Danger List.

    Sources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNESCO World Heritage Centre

12. 2026-07
    World Heritage Committee decision 48 COM 7B.17 on Bagan

    At its 48th session in Busan the Committee commended continued implementation of management and conservation measures, requested continued monitoring of monument condition after the March 2025 earthquake and of the security situation in the region, urged all parties associated with military activities to refrain from action that would damage Myanmar's heritage, welcomed progress on the Hotel Strategy including phasing-out of hotels within the property, and requested an updated conservation report by 1 December 2028. Month reflects the session's July 2026 timing as given in UNESCO decision records; the 2026 State of Conservation report itself could not be retrieved.

    Sources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNESCO World Heritage Centre

Digital Preservation Index

Overall coverage: Extensive — Well documented across most or all digital preservation categories.

Four of five categories have publicly findable evidence (virtual tour is not counted: a guided tour was not confirmed, only 3D models on a story page), which meets the extensive tier by the rubric (at least four of five including a visual and a technical/scholarly category). Coverage is uneven and largely monument-level: Bagan has 3,595 recorded monuments, while the 3D and virtual-tour evidence found concerns a small number of monuments (Ananda Ok Kyaung and Eim Ya Kyaung, pre- and post-earthquake, per the Google Arts & Culture story page, which was opened and states the data are available via Open Heritage 3D; Google's 2018 announcement describes the wider CyArk partnership), and the Mezzino et al. paper documents four temples in 3D without stating whether the data are public. The Open Heritage 3D dataset pages themselves were not opened, and the Arts & Culture page is a story with 3D models rather than a confirmed guided tour of the wall paintings. The tier rests on four categories. UNESCO's gallery shows images credited to the Department of Archaeology and National Museum. Wider archival holdings (e.g. the Department's inventory) were not found online.

• Photographic

  UNESCO's gallery for the property (12 images per page, with further pages) shows temples and landscape views credited to the Department of Archaeology and National Museum.

  View source
• Archival Records

  UNESCO's documents page for the property lists the 2019 nomination text, annexes, maps and management plan, the 2019 ICOMOS evaluation, Committee decisions 2019-2026 and State of Conservation reports.

  View source
• Three D Documentation

  Google Arts & Culture's Bagan story ('Valley of 10,000 Temples') features photorealistic 3D models of Ananda Ok Kyaung and Eim Ya Kyaung (pre- and post-earthquake) from CyArk field work using LiDAR and photogrammetry, and says the data are available through Open Heritage 3D for education and research. Google's 2018 announcement likewise describes 3D reconstruction of Bagan's key monuments with CyArk. Separately, a 2017 paper documents four Bagan temples in 3D (public availability not stated).

  View source
• Academic Scholarly

  Peer-reviewed and institutional scholarship: Kraak (2018) on the Bagan reconstruction campaign, Mezzino et al. (2017) on integrated documentation of Bagan temples, a 2016 post-earthquake survey by the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, and the Getty Conservation Institute's ongoing project and a 2025 Post-Earthquake Damage Assessment Form.

  View source
• Three D Documentation

  Google's April 2018 announcement of a CyArk partnership describes 3D reconstruction work at Bagan including Ananda Ok Kyaung and data access for researchers.

  View source

Law and commitments

• Treaty record for Myanmar