Mrauk U

Mrauk-U, or Arrakan (city of Arrakan), in the first plan of the Portuguese settlement of Daingri-pet. In Wouter Schouten: Oost-Indische Voyagie, t.o. p. 148. 1676

In 1430, King Min Saw Mon established Mrauk U as the capital of the last unified Arakanese Kingdom. The city eventually reached a size of 160,000 in the early seventeenth century.[1] Mrauk U served as the capital of the Mrauk U kingdom and its 49 kings till the conquest of the kingdom by the Burmese Konbaung Dynasty in 1784.

Mrauk-U was divided into three periods: the earliest period (1430–1530), the middle period (1531–1638), and the last period (1638–1784). In Arakan antiquities at the Mrauk-U seems to give rational evidence as to where Buddhism was settled down. The golden days of Mrauk U city, those of 16th and 17th centuries were contemporary to the days of Tudor kings, the Moghuls, the Ayutthaya kings and Ava (Inwa), Taungoo and Hanthawaddy kings of Myanmar. Mrauk U was cosmopolitan city, fortified by a 30-kilometer long fortification and an intricate net of moats and canals. At the centre of the city was the Royal Place, looming high over the surrounding area like an Asian Acropolis. Waterways formed by canals and creeks earned the fame of distinct resemblance to Venice.

Mrauk U offers some of the richest archaeological sites in Southeast Asia. These include stone inscriptions, Buddha images, the Buddha's footprints and the great pagoda itself which, stripped its later-constructed top, would be of the same design as the Gupta style of ancient India. In the city of golden Mrauk-U there are scattering innumerable temples and pagodas which preserved as places, thereby exerting a great influence on spiritual life of the people.[citation needed]

A Topographical Plan of the City and Fortifications of Arracan(Arakan) by Brigade General Joseph Wanton Morrison, British Army in 1825

During British colonial rule, Mrauk U was known as "Mrohaung" or "Myohaung".[citation needed] The area was the site of fighting during the Arakan Campaign, in the latter part of the Second World War.

On 16 January 2018, Rakhine protesters rioted near a government building in Mrauk U after a ban was issued by local authorities on an event that commemorated the anniversary of the Kingdom of Mrauk U's dissolution.[2][3] In response to protesters attempting to seize the government building, police fired live ammunition into the crowd, killing seven and wounding twelve.[4][5]

On 8 February 2024 the Arakan Army captured the city from the Tatmadaw after overrunning Police Battalion 31 in the northeast of the city.[6][7]

^ "Mrauk U Travel – Rakhine (Arakan)". Gandawunshwebagan.com. Archived from the original on 11 May 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2019. ^ Aung Khine, Min (4 April 2018). "Rakhine Field Investigation Delayed Months after Deadly Mrauk-U Incident". The Irrawaddy. Archived from the original on 6 April 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018. ^ Betty Han, Naw. "Former administrative officer of troubled Mrauk-U killed". The Myanmar Times. Archived from the original on 7 April 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018. ^ Thar, Chan (24 January 2018). "Rakhines seek impartial probe of Mrauk-U riot". The Myanmar Times. Archived from the original on 7 April 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018. ^ "7 ethnic Rakhine killed as Myanmar police open fire at riot: Official". The Straits Times. 17 January 2018. Archived from the original on 8 April 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2018. ^ "AA: Historic Mrauk U Seized From Myanmar's Junta". ^ "Arakan Army takes control of another police station in Myanmar's west".