ABSTRACT
Bagan, the sacred capital of the Myanmar empire (ninth–thirteenth centuries ad) has never been a lost city.
After the fall of the Bagan kingdom, villagers stayed, living from farming and maintaining the sacred monuments for a thousand years despite earthquakes and degradation from time. Due to Myanmar’s democratization and re-engagement with the world, Bagan is now exposed to mass tourism. As a result, development of the local economy is redirecting local life from farming towards tourism and transforming local people’s behaviour and needs on their land. In an internationally renowned living landscape like Bagan, indigenous custodians are no longer a majority and currently different stakeholders are in conflict. The local population, the Myanmar government, international organizations, pilgrims and tourists do not pursue the same interests, with different views on development and conservation. Even if we are not able to restore the appearance of the golden age landscape, we can still preserve its spirit across the ages. We should understand its indigenous foundations alongside other considerations. In Bagan, nothing is to be created. Tourism development should be used as a tool to reveal the site and its sacred dimension, which overwhelm the infrastructures.
