Bagan archaeological museum reopens after 19-month shutdown

With the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions in Myanmar, the Bagan Archaeological Museum was reopened to the public on 28 October.
The reopening has brought good news to art lovers and history enthusiasts who are now able to return after almost a nineteen-month shutdown since the first wave of COVID-19 in Myanmar. The museum was closed on 15 March 2020.
The Bagan Archaeological Museum has been reopened under the COVID-19 guidelines to prevent the spread of the disease, and it welcomes visitors from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm daily, except on Monday and public holidays.
The museum is located in the old Bagan, linking to the southern wall of the ancient Bagan, which is one of the World Heritage Sites of UNESCO in Myanmar. This two-storey museum was opened in 1998 although the very first museum in Bagan was established in 1902. Mr Taw Sein Kho, a specialist in the epigraphy of the formerly-known Department of Stone Inscription, now the Department of Archaeology and National Museum, established the construction of the first museum on the north side of Ananda Temple to display ancient stone inscriptions and artefacts from around Bagan which was opened in 1904.
A new and grander museum was built and opened in 1979 on the south side of the Katawpalin Pagoda as more and more artefacts were collected within 60 years. The current museum was built in 1995 and opened in 1998, explained Deputy Director Daw Khet Khet Hla, who is also the in-charge of the museum. The museum was also extended a new exhibition for children in 2017. — Ko Htein(KPD)/GNLM