Mandalay quake prompts strategic heritage damage mapping for future conservation

This photo taken on April 12, 2025 shows people walking past debris in the damaged Me Nu Brick Buddhist monastery in Inwa on the outskirts of Mandalay, following the devastating March 28 earthquake. When a massive earthquake hit Myanmar last month, centuries of sacred history tumbled down — towering Buddha idols, sky-scraping stupas and the pure-white pagoda where 83-year-old Khin Sein has prayed for most of her life.(Photo by Sai Aung MAIN / AFP)

Mizzima

Myanmar’s Department of Archaeology and National Museums is deploying a post-disaster strategy that combines traditional survey techniques with GIS technology to assess heritage damage following the recent Mandalay earthquake.

The nine-zone field operation covering culturally significant areas like Inwa, Pinya, and Sagaing, reveals alarming figures: 629 heritage structures negatively affected in Inwa, 280 in Pinya, and 249 in Paleik. These findings signal a need for urgent, data-informed restoration planning.