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72-452: Mogok is believed to be founded in 1217 by three lost Shan hunters who discovered rubies at the base of a collapsed mountain later known as Kyee Arr Taung. According to the oral history, the hunters returned to their home in Momeik and offered the precious stones to the local saopha who established a village in what would become modern-day Mogok. Following the 1885 Third Anglo-Burmese War when

144-706: A cease-fire agreement with the Burmese military government (SLORC) in 1989, and its activities have been severely curtailed. In 2005, an attempt by the Shan State Army-South based near the Thai border to fill the vacuum left by the cease-fire in the north was thwarted by the Burmese army . During the Myanmar Civil War , the town was temporarily taken by the Kachin Independence Army , but then retaken by

216-418: A 16 square block royal palace compound at the center by Mandalay Hill. The 1,020-acre (413-hectare) citadel was surrounded by four 2,032 m (6,666 ft) long walls and a moat 64 m (210 ft) wide, 4.6 m (15 ft) deep. At intervals of 169 m (555 ft) along the wall, were turrets with gold-tipped spires for watchmen. The walls had three gates on each side, and five bridges to cross

288-452: A fairly temperate climate year-round, and is home to Bamar , Shan , Lisu , Palaung , and Karen ethnic groups , as well as Chinese , Indians and Gurkhas . The city is composed of two towns, Mogok and Kyat Pyin. Mogok is four miles long and two miles wide. It is situated in a valley surrounded by a large number of mountains.Taung Min Taung mountain is the highest mountain in the region and

360-645: A festival at the foot of Mandalay Hill. Special commemorative stamps were issued. During Ne Win 's isolationist rule (1962–1988), the city's infrastructure deteriorated. By the early 1980s, the second largest city of Burma resembled a town with low-rise buildings and dusty streets filled mostly with bicycles. In the 1980s, the city was hit by two major fires. In May 1981, a fire razed more than 6,000 houses and public buildings, leaving more than 90,000 homeless. On 24 March 1984, another fire destroyed 2,700 buildings and made 23,000 people homeless. The fire caused US$ 96 million in property damage. Fires continue to plague

432-484: A gesture of goodwill. The British also renamed the palace compound Fort Dufferin and used it to billet troops. Throughout the colonial years, Mandalay was the centre of Burmese culture and Buddhist learning, and as the last royal capital, was regarded by the Burmese as a primary symbol of sovereignty and identity. Between the two World Wars, the city was Upper Burma's focal point in a series of nationwide protests against

504-842: A great deal of problems during 1888-9 to the Hampshire Regiment stationed at Momeik. Sao Hkun Hkio , Saopha of Momeik, was one of the seven Saophas on the Executive Committee of the Shan State Council formed after the first Panglong Conference in March 1946. On 16 January 1947, they sent two memoranda, whilst a Burmese delegation headed by Aung San was in London , to the British Labour government of Clement Attlee demanding equal political footing as Burma proper and full autonomy of

576-554: A group of drunken soldiers set fire to the Pitakataik (Royal Library) which had contained the genealogies of kings and the kingdom's official records. Mandalay was razed. However, the palace, its structures and the city walls were spared destruction. While Mandalay would continue to be the chief city of Upper Burma during the British colonial rule, the commercial and political importance had irreversibly shifted to Yangon. The British view on

648-941: A prosperous business community. Identity cards allowed the Chinese immigrants to stay indefinitely and bypass legal barriers on foreign ownership of businesses such as hotels, shops, and restaurants. The imposition of sanctions by the United States and the European Union in the 1990s and Burma's open-door immigration policy in the 1990s encouraged Chinese entrepreneurs to move to Mandalay. A substantial increase in foreign direct investment has poured in from mainland China, mostly ending up in Mandalay's real estate sector, through Burmese citizen intermediaries of Chinese ancestry. Retail outlets were opened by Chinese entrepreneurs, ranging from cement mixing to financial services turning Mandalay into

720-718: A very warm and extremely rainy wet season akin to that of Kachin State , only less extreme in heat discomfort, from mid-April to mid-November. The annual rainfall of around 2,700 millimetres or 106 inches is comparable to that of Yangon and three times that of Mandalay. Mogok and other villages nearby, especially Kyatpyin have been famous since ancient times for its gemstones, especially ruby and sapphire , but semi-precious stones such as spinel , lapis lazuli , garnet , moonstone , peridot and chrysoberyl are also found. The gems are found in alluvial marble gravels by means of panning , tunneling and digging pits by hand. There

792-532: Is UTC/GMT +6:30 hours and is 626 km from Yangon. Mandalay lies along the Sagaing Fault , a tectonic plate boundary between the India and Sunda plates. The biggest earthquake in its history, occurred on 23 March 1839 , an estimated magnitude 8.2 destroyed the former capital Ava and caused extreme destruction in nearby cities. The most recent quake was a magnitude of 7, occurred in 1956. The devastation

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864-453: Is at an elevation of more than 7000 feet. Kyatpyin lies about 7 miles (11 km) southwest of Mogok. Tourists that travel to this area need a special authorization and a guide person. In contrast to the hot to sweltering, semi-arid Dry Zone, Mogok has a borderline humid subtropical climate ( Köppen Cwa ) and a subtropical highland climate ( Cwb ) characterised by a warm dry season with cold mornings from mid-November to mid-April, and

936-591: Is connected to other parts of the country and to China and India by multiple modes of transportation. Mandalay International Airport (MDL) was one of the largest and most modern airports in Myanmar until the modernization of Yangon International Airport in 2008. Built at a cost of US$ 150 million in 2000, it is highly underused; it serves mostly domestic flights with the exception of those to Kunming and to/from Bangkok and Chiang Mai, with daily flights on Air Asia and Bangkok Airways. The airport has come to represent

1008-499: Is little mechanization of the mining. The gravels derive from the metamorphosed limestones (marbles) of the Mogok metamorphic belt. Gems are sold in markets in Mogok; however, foreigners require special permits to visit the town, and it is illegal to purchase/ export gems from Myanmar other than from government licensed dealers. 90% of a certain version of the world's rubies come from Myanmar (Burma). There are many other ruby sources in

1080-468: Is on the Mandalay - Lashio railway line. Momeik is also linked to Myitkyina , capital of Kachin State via Mabein and Bhamo . There is an airport for domestic flights to Momeik. Whereas Mogok lies at an elevation of 4,000 ft, Momeik is just 800 ft above sea level and 28 miles to the north of Mogok. Sixty miles by road to the west of Mogok lie Twinnge Village and the town of Thabeikkyin on

1152-515: Is the national radio service and broadcasts mostly in Burmese (and in English during specific times.) Semi-state-run Mandalay City FM (87.9FM) is the Mandalay metropolitan area's pop culture oriented station. The military government, which controls all daily newspapers in Burma, uses Mandalay to publish and distribute its three national newspapers , the Burmese language Myanmar Alin and Kyemon and

1224-607: The Ayeyarwady River (Irrawaddy). There is now a direct road linking Twinnge with Momeik. Momeik, part of the state of Hsenwi , was founded in 1238. Thirteen villages of the Mogok Stone Tract were given to Momeik in 1420 as a reward for helping Yunnan raid Chiang Mai . In 1465, Nang Han Lung, the daughter-in-law of the Saopha ( Sawbwa in Burmese ) of Momeik, sent ruby as separate tribute from Hsenwi and succeeded in keeping

1296-571: The Defence Services Academy were the only three universities in Upper Burma. Only a few other cities had "Degree Colleges" affiliated with Mandalay University that offered a limited number of subjects. Today, the city attracts a fraction of students as the military government requires students to attend their local universities in order to reduce concentration of students in one place. In November 1959, Mandalay celebrated its centennial with

1368-672: The Japanese conquest of Burma in the Second World War . In 1948, Mandalay became part of the newly independent Union of Burma. Today, Mandalay is the economic centre of Upper Myanmar and considered the centre of Burmese culture. A continuing influx of irregular Chinese immigrants, mostly from Yunnan , since the late 20th century, has reshaped the city's ethnic makeup and increased commerce with China. Despite Naypyidaw 's recent rise, Mandalay remains Upper Myanmar's main commercial, educational and health center. The city gets its name from

1440-455: The State Peace and Development Council came to power in 1988. Many Chinese immigrants from Yunnan and, to a lesser extent, Sichuan poured into Upper Burma in the 1990s and many ending up in Mandalay, living illegally there. In the 1990s alone, about 250,000 to 300,000 Yunnanese are estimated to have migrated to Mandalay. Today, ethnic Chinese people are believed to make up about 40%–50% of

1512-553: The Taping and Shweli Rivers in 1562. A bell donated by King Bayinnaung (1551–1581) at Shwezigon Pagoda in Bagan has inscriptions in Burmese , Pali and Mon recording the conquest of Momeik and Hsipaw on 25 January 1557, and the building of a pagoda at Momeik on 8 February 1557. The Saopha of Momeik had just died at the time of the British annexation in 1885 leaving a minor as heir, and

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1584-568: The Tatmadaw on 2 January 2024. The junta counter-offensive destroyed large parts of the town and the fighting left scores of civilians dead. The Ta'ang National Liberation Army launched a renewed offensive on the town in July 2024, as part of their resumption of Operation 1027 . Momeik is famous for its precious and semi-precious stones in its own right. Elbaite , a variant of Rubellite ( Tourmaline or Anyant meaning 'inferior' in Burmese ) including

1656-585: The "mushroom" tourmaline, and Petalite or Salinwa are mined in this region. Diamond found in Momeik region is believed to be derived from primary sources in north-western Australia but distinguishable from similar stones from eastern Australia. Gold mining in the area is being operated by Asia World and Shweli Yadana companies. Mogok ruby mines rely on the staple Momeik rice . Hsinshweli strain high-yield rice as well as sugar cane , rubber , physic nut , jengkol bean and avocado are cultivated in

1728-511: The British RAF had by now withdrawn all its aircraft to India. Three-fifths of Mandalay's houses were destroyed and 2,000 civilians were killed. Many residents also fled when the city was under Japanese occupation from May 1942 to March 1945. The palace citadel, which had been turned into a supply depot by the Japanese, was in turn burnt to the ground by Allied bombing; only the royal mint and

1800-605: The British conquered and annexed the hither to independent Upper Burma , in 1886 the British launched a military expedition to "open up" the ruby mines at Mogok and make them available to British merchants. George Skelton Streeter, a gem expert and son of Edmund Streeter of the Streeters & Co Ltd jewellery company in London, accompanied the expedition and stayed there to work as a government valuer in British-run mines. In 2018,

1872-594: The British rule. The British rule brought in many immigrants from India to the city. In 1904–1905, a plague caused about one-third of the population to flee the city. During World War II , Mandalay suffered devastating air raids. On 3 April 1942, during the Japanese conquest of Burma , the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service carried out an extensive assault. The city was in effect defenseless as its firefighting resources were weak, having been lost in earlier bombing, it had no anti-aircraft capacity, and

1944-400: The English language New Light of Myanmar . The state-run Yadanabon is published in Mandalay and serves the Upper Burma market. The Mandalay Daily newspaper is published by Mandalay City Development Committee since 30 November 1997. Mandalay's sporting facilities are quite poor by international standards but are still the best in Upper Burma. The 17,000 seat Bahtoo Stadium was

2016-576: The Federated Shan States. He was not one of the six Saophas who signed the Panglong Agreement on 12 February 1947. The Cambridge -educated Sao Hkun Hkio however became the longest serving Foreign Minister of Burma after independence in 1948 until the military coup of Ne Win in 1962, with only short interruptions, the longest one of which being between 1958 and 1960 during Ne Win's caretaker government . The Shweli river valley and

2088-501: The Mogok commemorated the 800th anniversary of the city's founding. During the Myanmar civil war , the town was the site of large-scale fighting between the Ta'ang National Liberation Army and Myanmar's military, with large eastern portions of the town falling under rebel control. The town fell to armed ethnic rebel forces on 24 July 2024. At 1,170 metres (3,840 ft) in elevation, the city has

2160-507: The Pali name Ratanapūra ( ရတနပူရ ) "City of Gems." It was also called Lay Kyun Aung Myei ( လေးကျွန်းအောင်မြေ , [lé dʑʊ́ɰ̃ àʊɰ̃ mjè] , "Victorious Land over the Four Islands") and Mandalay Palace ( မြနန်းစံကျော် , [mja̰ náɰ̃ sàɰ̃ tɕɔ̀] , "Famed Royal Emerald Palace"). Like most former (and present) capitals of Burma, Mandalay was founded on the wishes of the ruler of

2232-484: The UN puts Mandalay's population at nearly 1 million. The city's population is projected to reach nearly 1.5 million by 2025. While Mandalay has traditionally been the bastion of Bamar (Burman) culture and populace, the massive influx of illegal ethnic Han Chinese in the last 20 years has effectively influenced the ethnic Bamar majority there. Although many native ethnic Han Chinese could not get Burmese citizenship,

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2304-648: The administration at Momeik was weak. It was included under the jurisdiction of the Commissioner of the Northern Division instead of the Superintendent of the Northern Shan States. A pretender named Hkam Leng came to claim the title, but he was rejected by the ministers. A Burmese prince called Saw Yan Naing, who had risen up against the British, fled to the area and joined forces with Hkam Leng, and caused

2376-656: The aid of Prome against the Burmese, he was defeated by Bayinnaung . In 1544, Hkonmaing (1543-6), Saopha of Onbaung or Hsipaw and successor to Thohanbwa, attempted to regain Prome, with the help of Mohnyin, Momeik, Monè , Hsenwi, Bhamo and Yawnghwe, only to be defeated by King Tabinshwehti (1512–1550). Bayinnaung succeeded in three campaigns, 1556-9, to reduce the Shan states of Mohnyin, Mogaung, Momeik, Mong Pai (Mobyè), Saga, Lawksawk (Yatsauk), Yawnghwe, Hsipaw, Bhamo, Kalay , Chiang Mai , and Linzin ( Vientiane ), before he raided up

2448-569: The city has a population of 1,225,553 (2014 census). Mandalay was founded in 1857 by King Mindon , replacing Amarapura as the new royal capital of the Konbaung dynasty . It was Burma's final royal capital before the kingdom's annexation by the British Empire in 1885. Under British rule, Mandalay remained commercially and culturally important despite the rise of Yangon, the new capital of British Burma. The city suffered extensive destruction during

2520-487: The city of Mandalay, with clients from Hong Kong continuing to be the source of main customers. Mandalay has been virtually sinicized economically and culturally, to the resentment of locals. More than 50 percent of the commercial business activity generated in Downtown Mandalay is derived from the eclipsing plethora of Chinese-owned shops, hotels, restaurants, and showrooms that predominate the area. About 80 percent of

2592-438: The city's output of commercial business activity relative to their small population size. Prime residential and commercial real estate in central Mandalay have been bought by wealthy Chinese businessmen and investors. As many as half of the city's residents have Chinese ancestry with the seven of the top ten entrepreneurs in Mandalay being of Chinese descent fully controlling 60 percent of its entire economy. About 50 percent of

2664-526: The city's population that is nearly the same as the natives, and are a major factor in the city's doubling of population from about 500,000 in 1980 to one million in 2008. Chinese festivals are now firmly embedded in the city's cultural calendar. The Chinese dominance in the city center has pushed out the rest to the suburbs. The urban sprawl now encompasses Amarapura, the very city King Mindon left some 150 years ago. Mandalay celebrated its 150th birthday on 15 May 2009, at precisely 4:31:36 am. Despite

2736-554: The city. A major fire destroyed Mandalay's second largest market, Yadanabon Market , in February 2008, and another major fire in February 2009 destroyed 320 homes and left over 1600 people homeless. The 1980s fires augured a significant change in the city's physical character and ethnic makeup. Huge swaths of land left vacant by the fires were later purchased, mostly by the ethnic Han Chinese , many of whom were recent immigrants from Yunnan . The Chinese influx accelerated after

2808-419: The city. Mandalay also features wet and dry seasons of nearly equal length, with the wet season running from May through October and the dry season covering the remaining six months. The highest reliably recorded temperature in Mandalay is 45.0 °C (113.0 °F) on 12 May 2010 while the lowest is 7.6 °C (45.7 °F) on 26 December 1999. There is considerably more diurnal temperature variation in

2880-534: The city. The airport serves some flights to Myanmar towns. The Ayeyarwady River remains an important arterial route for transporting goods such as farm produce including rice, beans and pulses, cooking oil, pottery, bamboo and teak. Mandalay Central Railway Station is the terminus of Myanmar Railways 's metre gauge main rail line from Yangon ( Yangon–Mandalay Railway ) and the starting point of branch lines to Pyin U Lwin (Maymyo), Lashio ( Mandalay–Lashio Railway ), Monywa , Pakokku , Kalay , Gangaw , and to

2952-430: The day. On 13 February 1857, King Mindon founded a new royal capital at the foot of Mandalay Hill , ostensibly to fulfill a prophecy on the founding of a metropolis of Buddhism in that exact place on the occasion of the 2,400th jubilee of Buddhism. The new capital city site was 66 km (25.5 sq mi) in area, surrounded by four rivers. The plan called for a 144-square block grid patterned citadel, anchored by

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3024-478: The development of Mandalay (and Burma) was mainly with commercial intentions. While rail transport reached Mandalay in 1889, less than four years after the annexation, the first college in Mandalay, Mandalay College , was not established until 40 years later, in 1925. The British looted the palace, with some of the treasures going on display in the Victoria and Albert Museum ; in 1964 they were returned to Burma as

3096-455: The dry season than the wet season. The Mandalay Region Government is the government for Mandalay Region including Mandalay City. The Mandalay City Development Committee (MCDC) is municipal organization for Mandalay City. The Mandalay District consists of seven townships. Mandalay's strategic location in Central Burma makes it an important hub for transport of people and goods. The city

3168-522: The entire Pāli Canon , each housed in its own white stupa . The buildings inside the old Mandalay city walls, surrounded by a moat, which was repaired in recent times using prison labor, comprise the Mandalay Palace , mostly destroyed during World War II . İt is now replaced by a replica, military Prison and a military garrison, the headquarters of the Central Military Command . Much of

3240-444: The ethnic Bamar. A sizable community of Indian immigrants (mostly Tamils ) also resides in Mandalay. Burmese is the principal language of the city, while Chinese is increasingly heard in the city's commerce centers as the second language. English is the third language, only known by some urban people. Mandalay is Burma's cultural and religious center of Buddhism, having numerous monasteries and more than 700  pagodas . At

3312-496: The foot of Mandalay Hill sits the world's official " Buddhist Bible ", also known as the world's largest book, in Kuthodaw Pagoda . The styles of Mandalay Buddha Images and Buddha Statues were many since King Mandon, who was a devout Buddhist, and had filled Mandalay with them and through the years Mandalay Buddhist art became established as the pure art of Myanmar. There are 729 slabs of stone that together are inscribed with

3384-450: The foreign-born Yunnanese can easily obtain Burmese citizenship cards on the black market. Ludu Daw Amar of Mandalay, the native journalist had said it felt like "an undeclared colony of Yunnan ". Today, the percentage of ethnic Han Chinese, estimated at 50% of the city (with the Yunnanese forming an estimated 30% of Mandalay's population), is believed to be nearly the same as that of

3456-528: The former possessions of Hsenwi until 1484 when Mogok was ceded to the Burmese kings . It was however not until 1597 that the Saopha of Momeik was forced to exchange Mogok and Kyatpyin with Tagaung , and they were formally annexed by royal edict . Earlier in 1542, when the Shan ruler of Ava Thohanbwa (1527–1543) marched with the Saophas of Mohnyin , Hsipaw , Momeik, Mogaung , Bhamo and Yawnghwe to come to

3528-400: The government allows only a few thousands of vehicles to be imported each year, motor transportation in Burma is highly expensive for most of its citizens. Most people rely on bicycles , motorcycles and/or private and public buses to get around. Back in the 2000s, the most popular car in Mandalay was the 1982/83 Nissan Sunny pickup truck . Because of its utility as a private bus or taxi,

3600-820: The hills around Momeik and Mogok are old strongholds of the Communist Party of Burma (CPB) as early as the 1950s, but it was not until 1968 that the 1st Brigade of the CPB People's Army regained control of the area, and briefly captured Momeik itself in 1977. Their plan to strike west to the plains north of Mandalay however was thwarted by clashes with the Shan State Army and the Palaung State Liberation Army as well as government military offensives. The Shan State Army-North's 3rd Brigade has been active in Momeik, Kyaukme, Hsipaw, Namtu and Lashio. It reached

3672-465: The hotels and guesthouses, more than 70 percent of the restaurants, more than 45 percent of gold and jewellery shops, about 30 percent of jade and gemstone trading, and nearly 100 percent of the sale centres for mainland Chinese-made commodities in Mandalay are owned and operated by the Chinese. Chinese entrepreneurs and investors have acquired much of Central Mandalay's economic crown jewels and have been disproportionately responsible for generating much of

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3744-576: The land plots in Downtown Mandalay are controlled by the Chinese. In addition, all of Mandalay's shopping malls and hotels were entirely built by Chinese-owned construction and real estate development companies. Besides Mandalay's economic development being shaped by the Burmese Chinese business community's immense development output, it has also been amplified with additional investment from foreign Chinese investment from mainland China and overseas bamboo networks . The apparent influence of mainland China

3816-475: The largest in Upper Myanmar before the construction of Mandalarthiri Stadium and hosts mainly local and regional association football and track-and-field tournaments. Since May 2009, professional football has arrived in Mandalay, with Yadanabon FC representing the city in the newly formed Myanmar National League , the country's first professional football league. In 2013, a new stadium, Mandalarthiri Stadium

3888-565: The leading traditional industries are silk weaving, tapestry , jade cutting and polishing, stone and wood carving, making marble and bronze Buddha images, temple ornaments and paraphernalia, the working of gold leaves and of silver, the manufacture of matches, brewing and distilling. Since the country's post-1988 shift towards economic liberalization , large numbers of Chinese migrants in search of economic opportunity have poured into Mandalay. These migrants brought with them talent, skills, goods and services, and capital, but also purchased most of

3960-428: The media in Mandalay – like elsewhere in Burma – comes from Yangon. The city's non-satellite TV programming comes from Yangon-based state-run TV Myanmar and military-run Myawaddy , both of which provide Burmese language news and entertainment. Since December 2006, MRTV -4, formerly a paid channel, has also been available in Mandalay. Mandalay has two radio stations. Naypyidaw -based Myanmar Radio National Service

4032-408: The military regime's propensity for bad planning and penchant for white elephant projects. Myanmar's recent opening stance on tourism means the airport is now receiving a growing number of visitors from Bangkok and Chiang Mai. The airport is far from the city, 45 km (28 mi) on a modern highway. Before the construction of this airport, Mandalay Chanmyathazi Airport was the main airport of

4104-588: The moat. In addition, the king also commissioned the Kuthodaw Pagoda , the Pahtan-haw Shwe Thein Ordination Hall , the Thudamma zayats or public houses for preaching Buddhism and a library for the Pāli Canon . In June 1857, the former royal palace of Amarapura was dismantled and moved by elephants to the new location at the foot of Mandalay Hill, although construction of the palace compound

4176-407: The nearby Mandalay Hill . The name is probably a derivative of a Pali word, although the exact word of origin remains unclear. The root word has been speculated to be maṇḍala (မဏ္ဍလ), referring to circular plains or Mandara , a mountain from Hindu mythology. When it was founded in 1857, the royal city was officially named Yadanarbon ( ရတနာပုံ , [jədənàbòʊɰ̃] ), a loan of

4248-525: The north, Shwebo , Kawlin , Naba , Kanbalu , Mohnyin , Hopin , Mogaung and Myitkyina ( Mandalay–Myitkyina Railway ). Mandalay has a station on the standard gauge Kunming , China - Kyaukphyu port railway. Mandalay does not have an intra-city metro rail system. The former Trams in Mandalay has been decommissioned. Mandalay literally is at the center of Burma's road network. The highway network includes roads towards: Most stretches of these highways are one-lane roads in poor condition. As

4320-612: The number of cars in a city of one million is low, traffic in Mandalay is highly chaotic as thousands of bicycles and (unregistered) motorbikes freely roam around all the lanes of the streets. Unlike in Yangon where motorbikes, cycle rickshaws and bicycles are prohibited from entering downtown and busy areas, in Mandalay it is anything goes. In 2018, as part of Mandalay Smart City initiatives, new traffic lights with internet-connected sensors have been installed by Mandalay City Development Committee to manage traffic at junctions. A 2007 estimate by

4392-562: The one of the world's most beautiful sapphires in "royal" blue, only second to the now extinct Kashmir blue. Momeik Momeik ( Burmese : မိုးမိတ် ), also known as Mong Mit ( Shan : မိူင်းမိတ်ႈ ) in Shan , is a town situated on the Shweli River in northern Shan State . It is the principal town of Mongmit Township , Myanmar. It is connected by road to Mogok and its ruby mines, and via Mogok to Mandalay , and to Kyaukme which

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4464-922: The prosperous business centre it is today. As Mandalay became more economically prosperous, existing Burmese Chinese have facilitated continued immigration from China. The transformation of Mandalay into a booming modern metropolis filled with foreign businesses and gem trading centers occurred under the auspices of the entrepreneurial Chinese minority. The Chinese minority in Mandalay own virtually all of Mandalay's retail gold shops, mining concessions, foreign businesses and timber trading companies. In Central Mandalay, about 80 percent or four out of five gold and jewellery shops are Chinese-owned. Many Chinese-owned and operated businesses such as trading cooperatives, market stalls, food joints, traditional Chinese medicinal clinics, hotels, gemstone mining concessions, wholesale marketing, hotels, restaurants, and real estate have also flourished. Foreign purchasers of jade and gems flock to

4536-527: The region. 23°07′00″N 96°41′00″E  /  23.11667°N 96.68333°E  / 23.11667; 96.68333 Mandalay Mandalay ( / ˌ m æ n d ə ˈ l eɪ / or / ˈ m æ n d əl eɪ / ; Burmese : မန္တလေး ; MLCTS : manta.le: [màndəlé] ) is the second-largest city in Myanmar , after Yangon . Located on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River , 631 km (392 miles; road distance) north of Yangon,

4608-604: The rise of Naypyidaw, the country's capital since 2006, Mandalay remains Upper Burma's main commercial, educational and health center. In October 2018, Mandalay was ranked by CIO Asia as number fifth among the top 10 cities in Southeast Asia in the process of becoming a smart city for ASEAN Smart Cities Network . Mandalay is located in the central Dry Zone of Burma by the Irrawaddy river at 21.98° North, 96.08° East, 80 meters (260 feet) above sea level. Its standard time zone

4680-482: The shops and real estate in the centre of Mandalay, transforming the economic dynamics of the city. This influx of poor Han Chinese immigrants mostly trace their ancestry to the Southwestern Chinese province of Yunnan . Many were able to illegally obtain identity papers on the black market to become naturalized Burmese citizens overnight. Arriving impoverished, they now sit at the helm of the Burmese economy as

4752-584: The two-and-a-half-decade old model still had strong demand and heady prices to match—from K10 million to K14 million (US$ 8,000 to US$ 11,000) in mid-2008. To get around severe import limits, people of Mandalay had turned to illegally imported and hence unregistered (called "without" in Burmese English ) motorcycles and cars despite the government's periodic confiscation sprees then. In March 2008, Mandalay had nearly 81,000 registered motor vehicles plus an unknown number of unregistered vehicles. Although

4824-464: The watch tower survived. (A faithful replica of the palace was rebuilt in the 1990s.) After the country gained independence from Britain in 1948, Mandalay continued to be the main cultural, educational and economic hub of Upper Burma. Until the early 1990s, most students from Upper Burma went to Mandalay for university education. Until 1991, Mandalay University , the University of Medicine, Mandalay and

4896-474: The world such as Sri Lanka and various places in Africa. Only in terms of quality Mogok rubies are best. The red stones from there are prized for their purity and hue . Thailand buys the majority of Myanmar's gems . The " Valley of Rubies ", the mountainous Mogok area, 200 km (120 mi) north of Mandalay , is noted as the original source of ruby including the world's finest "pigeon's blood" rubies as well as

4968-453: The year. Average temperatures in January, the mildest month, hovers around 22 °C or 71.6 °F while the hottest month, April, averages 32 °C or 89.6 °F. Mandalay is very hot in the months of April and May, with average high temperatures easily exceeding 37 °C or 99 °F. It is not uncommon to see high temperatures surpass 40 °C or 104 °F during these two months in

5040-538: Was built to host the Women Football matches of 27th SEA Games and became the largest stadium in Mandalay and Upper Myanmar. At Waterfall Hill, the first bolted rock climbing site in Myanmar have been developed with the help of Mandalay climbers led by Steve, Tylor and Technical Climbing Club of Myanmar since 2010. Mandalay is the major trading and communications center for Upper Myanmar . Much of Burmese external trade to China and India goes through Mandalay. Among

5112-676: Was greatest in nearby Sagaing , and it came to be known as the Great Sagaing Quake . Bodies of water near Mandalay are Mandalay Kantawgyi, a small lake and Irrawaddy River to the west of the city. Although the rain shadow of the Arakan Mountains is powerful, the city qualifies as having a tropical wet and dry climate (Köppen climate classification: Aw ), bordering a hot semi-arid climate ( BSh ), though if using 1981-2010 data, Mandalay does qualify as hot semi-arid ( BSh ). Mandalay features noticeably warmer and cooler periods of

5184-474: Was officially completed only two years later, on Monday, 23 May 1859. For the next 26 years, Mandalay was to be the last royal capital of the Konbaung dynasty , the last independent Burmese kingdom before its final annexation by the British Empire . Mandalay ceased to be the capital on 28 November 1885 when the British conquered the city and sent Thibaw Min and his queen Supayalat into exile in India. Moreover,

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