The historic sites of Dala’s old town, including the palace hill, ancient pagodas, and over 2,000 ancient glaze kilns, have been designated and preserved near the Shwesandaw Pagoda in Twantay Township of Yangon Region. U Hla Myo, a member of the Twantay Township Ancient Cultural Heritage Preservation Committee, confirmed this.
To facilitate observation by historians, glaze chemistry experts, and enthusiasts, a terracotta research museum has been established in Nyaungtaga village. The museum displays excavated glazed pots and fragments. The Glaze Research Museum is a collaborative effort between the Department of Archaeology and the National Museum in partnership with the Myanmar Ceramic Society and with support from the Japanese government.
“Many of the glazed artefacts discovered in the ancient kilns bear distinctive markings, while some do not. The museum exhibits pipes and bowls crafted from glazed materials. Along Twantay Tawkyeetan, formerly known as the old town of Dala, one can find palace mounds where ancient kings once resided, ancient stupas, and glaze kilns. The design of the ancient stupas resembles those found in Bagan. Historians speculate that the unearthed bricks and brick tiles date back to the Bagan era. They believe that more ancient pagodas, stupas, city walls, old cities, moats, and glaze kilns may still be discovered in Twantay,” explained U Hla Myo.
Several ancient glaze kilns remain undiscovered in villages like Zawti, Ayoetaung, and Hngetpyawsan in Twantay, as well as Thabyusan and Hngetawsan in Kawhmu and Kungyangon. Collaborating with local departments from Twantay, Kawhmu, and Kungyangon, as well as Japanese groups, the Myanmar Ceramic Society conducted field research trips in 2010. These trips revealed the presence of over 2,000 unexplored ancient glaze kilns. — ASH/MKKS
