World Heritage List: Inscription Of Bagan To Be Decided During 43rd Session

Inscription of Bagan on the World Heritage List will be decided during the 43rd session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, held in Baku of Azerbaijan from 30th June to 10th July.

Bagan is one of 36 nominations under consideration for the inscription.

To be included on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, sites must be of Outstanding Universal Value, meaning that their cultural significance is so exceptional that it transcends national boundaries and are of common importance for present and future generations of all humanity.

Bagan includes more than 3,500 surviving stupas, temples, monasteries, fortifications and other monuments, according to the official inventory of the Department of Archaeology and National Museums, set in an extensive landscape that also features archaeological deposits and the remains of an ancient water-management system. 

For the last six years, UNESCO has supported Myanmar’s effort to nominate Bagan through a series of capacity-building activities. Maps and the inventory of monuments have been updated and site conservation has been strengthened in line with international standards. 

After the earthquake that heavily damaged the monuments of Bagan in August 2016, special attention was given to the development of strategy which addresses assessment of damages, post-earthquake stabilisation and post-disaster rehabilitation.

A detailed management plan for Bagan was also produced to enhance the legal and institutional framework for protecting the site. In February 2018, the Government submitted the completed nomination to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and later received feedback from the International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), the professional and scientific advisory body for cultural heritage nominations.

The final decision on the nomination is expected on 5th or 6th July when the review of the inscription on the World Heritage List will be carried out by the 21 members of the World Heritage Committee.

It's been twenty-three years after Myanmar initiated the first nomination in 1996.  If the application is successful, Bagan will become Myanmar’s second entry on the World Heritage List.

In 2014, UNESCO added the Pyu Ancient Cities – Hanlin, Beikthano and Sri Ksetra – to the list.