History & Location

Mandalay the present day second largest city (after Yangon) in Myanmar is located in the upper Myanmar about 650 Km due north of Yangon. Its previous official name was Yadanabon (Ratanapunja), meaning the city of gems. The city earned its name after the 236-meter high Mandalay hill. It was the last Capital of Myanmar Kingdom created by King Mindom in 1857 as the new capital of the kingdom of Ava. Only two Burmese kings ruled from there, King Mingdon and King Thibaw, before the British conquest of Upper Burma in 1885. It was a city of splendor between 1858 and 1885 but most of the magnificence is gone, destroyed by the fire that consumes wooden structures and by intensive bombing by the Allies during the Second World War. The city, neatly planned with its lettered roads and numbered streets, is a British creation.

This enchanting city is full of regal identity, famous pagodas, religious edifices. It can also said that Mandalay is the center of Myanmar Culture, and it will give all people of arts and crafts lovers such as tapestry called Shwe Chi Htoe (Gold thread Weaving), wood carving, stone carvings, bronze casting, gold beating.

There are several ancient capitals around Mandalay such as Amapura, Sagaing, Ava, Mingun where Kongboung dynasty kings used to rule respectively. It can be reached by air, rail, road or river; Flying is the best way to travel. It takes about one hour and thirty minutes by air from Yangon. Travel by train or car takes about 15 hours.

Mandalay has a semi-tropical climate. Winter (which is dry and cold) lasts from November to February, and summer lasts from March to May. Because Mandalay is in the central dry zone, it receives far less rain than the more tropical south.