YANGON: UNESCO World Heritage Site- The ancient capital of Bagan

However, UNESCO suggested to Myanmar in 1997 that it apply only after meeting all the requirements, such as detailed records of the ancient structures in the heritage zone and a conservation  plan, for the listing.

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Twenty-one committee members will decide on Bagan’s application at the World Heritage Committee session in Baku, Azerbaijan, from June 30 to July 10.

After more than a decade, it was able to resume the work for being listed in UNESCO’s world heritage list.

“With regards to Bagan, members of UNESCO’s International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMS) agreed that the area should be listed as a world heritage site. However, ICOMS remarked that Myanmar government and citizens need to keep carrying out the requirements in the management plan for Bagan region,” said heritage adviser Daw Ohmar Myo during an event atthe at the Secretariat in Yangon to provide updates on the efforts to have Bagan listed as a world heritage site.

ICOMS does field studies and advises countries on applying for world-heritage-site listing.

UNESCO’s World Heritage List includes ancient cities, areas where cultures started blooming, ancient caves, and architectural monuments.

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There are six criteria to be listed, and UNESCO considers a site worthy of listing if it meets only one of the criteria.

In Myanmar, the ancient Pyu cities of Tha Yay Khit Ta Yar, Hanlin, and Beikthano, were listed in 2014.

Bagan is applying under three criteria, including developments in architecture and culture, and cultural heritage.

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“We’ve applied for listing by emphasising Bagan’s ancient buildings from the 11th to 13th centuries, and a culture that developed based on good deeds and faith,” said U Thant Zaw Oo, director of the Department of World Heritage under the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture.

The proposal submitted to UNESCO, besides these criteria, emphasised Bagan’s management plan and ongoing projects.

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Cambodia’s Angkor Wat, which has been designated as a World Heritage Site, attracts an average of more than five million tourists a year.

Myanmar has signed an agreement with Cambodia to offer combined tours of Bagan and Angkor Wat in an effort to promote tourism.

Despite Bagan being a major tourist destinations in Myanmar, the number of visitors to the site is only around 300,000 a year.

Tour operators expect that number to increase if Bagan becomes a world heritage site.

However, the listing of Bagan faces challenges with management and administration.

The management proposal for Bagan’s listing was submitted in early 2018. Under the plan, Myanmar agreed to pursue good management practices for farmland, the economy, transportation, ancient heritage, and tourism in Bagan and its vicinity.

Myanmar still needs to meet some management and administration requirements in Bagan and to provide a detailed map of agriculture, building construction and cultural heritage sites, as well as tourism plans for the area, ICOMS said.

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The listing of Bagan as a heritage site could require the relocation of some hotels in the area. Shin Moe Myint/The Myanmar Times

“Mistakes were made concerning some hotels that have been built in Bagan. Big structures should not be built on land adjacent to ancient heritage site. ICOMS suggested finding ways to rectify the mistake of building hotels in the wrong places. After being listed as a world heritage site, I hope that the authorities will have the strength to correct those mistakes,” Kai Weise, an expert in heritage site management, said during the Yangon meeting.

When it comes to tourism in Bagan, small traditional guesthouses should be built. This also allows local residents to participate in the preservation of the area. This is preferable to investing in building large hotels in the wrong areas, he said.

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“We have conducted studies of Bagan many times. ICOMS experts published their assessment at the end of May. Detailed explanations on future plans following their suggestions were provided,” U Thant Zaw Oo said.

When the Bagan effort began in 1996, Myanmar had certain issues regarding management of the area.

For the UNESCO designation, Myanmar enacted the Protection and Preservation of Cultural Heritage Law on February 28 to resolve the issues.

The new law includes measures to improve the livelihoods of locals in addition to management of the area, said ministry officials. Detailed heritage records of over 3800 pagodas in Bagan, in addition to management projects, were included in the application.

There were talks and photos of activities supporting the listing of Bagan, because public participation helps in the listing effort, ministry officials said.

“Myanmar followed the recommendations of ICOMS regarding Bagan, and some of the 1996 requirements were fulfilled, so I believe we have a good chance of success,” said U Thant Zaw Oo.

Despite his belief that Bagan will be listed, it may come with some conditions, said U Thura Aung, general secretary of the Myanmar Archaeology Association.

“Bagan is highly likely to be listed, but not fully. It might come with conditions such as a deadline to fulfil some recommendations,” he said. – Translated