Mrauk U travel guide

Mrauk U is an archaeologically important town in northern Rakhine State, Burma. It lies east of the Kaladan river, and is surrounded by hills in the north and south.
In 1431, King Min Saw Mon established Mrauk U as the capital of the last reunited and Arakanese Kingdom. The city eventually reached a size of 120,000 in the mid sixteenth century. The city traded with Portugal, the Netherlands, Ava, Pegu, Arabia, Persia and India. Items traded include rice, cotton, rubies, elephants, slaves, horses, ivory, cowrie and spices. At its zenith, Mrauk U controlled half of Bangladesh, including Dhaka and Chittagong, modern day Rakhine State and the western part of Lower Burma. During that period, its kings minted coins inscribed in Arakanese (similar to the Burmese language), Kufic and Bengali. As they prospered, they built many pagodas and temples, many of which remain today. The most notable are the Shite-thaung Temple (Temple of 80,000 Images or Temple of Victory), Htukkanthein (Htukkan Ordination Hall), the Koe-thaung (Temple of 90,000 Images) and the Five Mahn pagodas.
The area around Mrauk U ranks second in the production of rice in Burma, after the Irrawaddy Delta.
Today, Mrauk U is a major archaeological and tourist site. It is about two days journey from Yangon, or 3-5 hours boat ride from Sittwe. (...) more....