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![[Talk] Mrauk U and the Kingdom of Arakan (Rakhine)](https://www.southeastasianarchaeology.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/unnamed.jpg)
Readers in Bangkok may be interested in this talk at the Siam Society on 29 August 2019.
Mrauk U and the Kingdom of Arakan (Rakhine)
Date: 29 August 2019
Time: 7 pm
Venue: Siam Society, Bangkok
Mrauk U was the capital of the kingdom of Arakan (Rakhine State) for over 300 years. Compared to Venice, Amsterdam and Lisbon in its heyday in the 17th century, Mrauk U is today a provincial town with dozens of pagodas and temples that recall its great past. The opening of Myanmar, after 2011, generated international interest for hitherto little-known archaeological and historical sites in Myanmar. Yet, the ongoing Rakhine State crisis that mixes inter-ethnic conflict, state-ethnic conflict, humanitarian and rights issues, has largely prevented the development of tourism in Myanmar’s western region. Against a background of contemporary challenges, the lecture will focus on the complexity of Mrauk U’s past between Mughal India and the Burmese kingdoms.
