Kyaw Oo Lwin is the boss of the Myanmese Culture Ministry’s archaeological bureau and he says staff have been working with authorities in Arakan State to formulate a timetable. He continued by saying extensive digital mapping had already been carried out and plans laid out to renovate some of the 380 structures scattered around the Arakan Hills.
The director added that relevant parties would coordinate with historians and UNESCO to work out the best way forward. He expounded by saying UNESCO required detailed information about how people living in Arakan State had co-existed with the temples and palaces over their 500-year existence.
Kyaw Oo Lwin says Arakan State authorities are providing the funding for any restoration work needed as well as research and the initial proposal for the UNESCO designation. If Mrauk-U is listed it will join Pyu Ancient Cities which was inscribed last year.
Myanmar maps out plan for key historic site
News in Asia
Myanmar has mapped out a schedule to conserve historic temples and pagodas at Mrauk-U and get them included on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Mrauk-U was the capital city of the Arakanese Kingdom in the late Middle Ages and architectural structures from its zenith are rated only second to those of Bagan.