Pyu Ancient Cities: Myanmar’s first site on World Heritage List

June 23, 2014

Pyu Ancient Cities of Myanmar has become the first site from the country to get entry onto the World Heritage List. It was decided by the World Heritage Committee during its meeting in Doha (Qatar) under the Chair of Sheikha Al Mayassa Bint Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani. The panel also inscribed Iran’s ‘Burnt City” on the List.
Pyu Ancient Cities (Myanmar)
The site includes the remains of three brick, walled and moated cities of Halin, Beikthano and Sri Ksetra located in huge irrigated landscapes in the dry zone of the Irrawaddy River basin. These are the evidence of the Pyu Kingdoms that bloomed for over 1,000 years between 200 B.C and 900 A.D.
Shahr-i Sokhta (Iran)
Shahr-I Sokhta means ‘Burnt City’. It is situated at the junction of Bronze Age trade routes crossing the Iranian plateau. The remains of the mud brick city reflect the beginning of the first complex societies in eastern Iran. Established around 3200 BC, it was populated during four main periods up to 1800 BC, during which there developed several distinct areas within the city. These include a monumental area, residential areas, industrial zones and a graveyard. Changes in water courses and climate led to the ultimate desertion of the city in the early 2000 BC.
Note: With the inscriptions of the above two sites, the total number of World Heritage sites increased to 994.