Bagan

Bagan is the most important architectural complex in Myanmar. If you put all of Europe's medieval cathedrals on Manhattan Island you would start to get a sense of the ambition of the temple-packed plain of Bagan. Home of 4'400 temples built mostly 800 or more years ago, Bagan rivals Angkor Wat as one of Southeast Asia's most remarkable sites. The temples are smaller than Cambodia's but nearer each other leading to great vistas and sunsets. On any given day, some passageways are stuffed with travellers while others nearby are empty. The massive Bagan Archaeological Zone stretches 42 sq km and is home to the small towns of Nyaung U, Old Bagan, Myinkaba, New Bagan and a few others.
It is here that the Buddhist religion took deep root, strengthening and broadening the outlook of the whole of society.
Unfortunately the city was crushed again in 1975, when an earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scal damaged many of Bagan's important structures. Up to now a lot of temples have been repaired.