Country's history lost to humanity - Unesco

President Thein Sein and Unesco’s director-general have met to discuss ways to conserve the rich historical heritage of the ancient Pyu city-states, whose inhabitants were the first-known settlers in Myanmar.

Though famed for its historical riches, Myanmar currently has no sites listed by Unesco as World Heritage.

At their meeting last week in Paris, Thein Sein and Unesco’s director-general Irina Bokova discussed nominating the three main Pyu city-states as World Heritage. Also up for Unesco consideration were sites from the Mrauk U Kingdom (1429 to 1785) in Rakhine, while means of preserving the large, colonial buildings of Yangon as well as the cultures and traditions of ethnic groups were discussed.

The five Pyu city-states existed from the 2nd century BC to midway through the 11th century. The thousand-year “Pyu millennium” was superseded by the rise of the Pagan Kingdom in the late 9th century.

“The government is trying its best to preserve Myanmar’s rich cultural heritage but we lack conservation technologies to do so,” said President Thein Sein in a statement released by Unesco.

Bokova lamented the absence of Myanmar’s history from the world stage. “You are a country so rich in cultural heritage, not to have a site inscribed on the World Heritage List is a loss for the whole of humanity,” said Unesco’s director-general.

“This heritage is a challenge to protect and preserve, and it is very important to train experts and specialists.”

The three nominated Pyu cities of Hanlin, Beikthano and Tharekhittra were built along the Irrawady River between the 1st and 9th centuries. 

Historians have pointed out that the large colonial buildings in downtown Yangon are a major attraction for tourists and should be preserved as  ways of attracting income from abroad.

The Yangon City Development Committee currently lists 189 heritage buildings. Maintaining these buildings and giving them new uses forms one plank of the Strategic Urban Development Plan for Greater Yangon, which aims to create an international-grade city by 2040.

First up for consideration as Unesco World Heritage, however, are the ancient cities of Bagan – previously rejected due to botched renovation under the junta government – and Innwa in Mandalay Region. These will be submitted to Unesco in the near future, according to Myanmar’s Department of Archaeology.