Last September, one of the ICOMOS experts already visited the heritage area to conduct a survey to help UNESCO decide whether Myanmar’s application to list the ancient city as a World Heritage Site should be accepted or not. The final report, though, will be submitted only in March this year after the Department of Archaeology and National Museums answers some more questions regarding the application.
Three outcomes are basically possible after the application is submitted. In the first case, Bagan will be added to the World's Heritage Site List; in the second case, the application defer the listing as it was already done back in 1994, when UNESCO required a more detailed management plan of conservation and preservation of the heritage site; in the third case, the application can be denied.
Currently, the area around Bagan is being developed very fast. Quite a few new hotel projects and new roads are under construction in the heritage site area. It clearly marks the main priorities of the authorities: development over protection. The increasing number of vehicles in the ancient city of Bagan is an alarming sign and experts are worried that opening of the Tharabar Gate will not solve the problem.
ICOMOS Experts to Visit Bagan Again
News in Asia
Heritage experts from the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) will soon visit Bagan, Myanmar, in order to obtain more information before submitting a final report to UNESCO.