Yangon is Myanmar's largest city and former capital, a humid river port where the golden Shwedagon Pagoda rises above a downtown of colonial buildings, tea shops, markets and Buddhist temples.
Yangon's story spans Mon settlement, Konbaung rule, British colonial planning, independence and decades of political change; the downtown colonial grid, Shwedagon and independence-era sites tell it best.
Historical timeline
Key moments that shaped Yangon.
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1
Founding of Shwedagon
Tradition holds that two merchant brothers enshrined hairs of the Buddha on Singuttara Hill.
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2
Dagon, a Mon town
Dagon grew around the Shwedagon site; Queen Shinsawbu raised the pagoda to its present height in the 15th century.
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3
Alaungpaya founds Yangon
King Alaungpaya renamed Dagon 'Yangon' (End of Strife) after conquering the Mon kingdom.
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4
First Anglo-Burmese War
British forces occupied Rangoon in 1824.
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5
Second Anglo-Burmese War and city plan
The British annexed Lower Burma; Lieutenant Alexander Fraser laid out the downtown grid.
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6
Colonial capital
After the Third Anglo-Burmese War, Rangoon became the colonial capital and a major port.
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7
Japanese occupation
Rangoon was bombed and occupied during the Second World War.
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8
Independence
Burma became independent from Britain, with Rangoon as capital.
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9
Military coup
General Ne Win's coup began decades of military rule.
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10
8888 Uprising
Mass protests in Rangoon were suppressed by the military.
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11
Capital moved
The government relocated the capital to Naypyidaw.
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12
Saffron Revolution
Monk-led protests in Yangon were suppressed.
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13
Reform era
Political and economic reforms and democratic elections took place.
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14
Military coup
The military seized power; Yangon saw protests and unrest.
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15
Military-organised elections
The ruling administration held phased elections; international observers disputed their legitimacy.
Historical eras
The chapters of Yangon's past.
Historical sites
Places where Yangon's past comes alive.
Shwedagon Pagoda
Myanmar's holiest stupa, raised to its present 99-metre height by Queen Shinsawbu in the 15th century and rebuilt after earthquakes.
Where: Dagon Township
Admission: 10,000 MMK (~$2.33)
Sule Pagoda
A downtown stupa said to be over 2,000 years old, the centre of the colonial grid laid out by British engineers in the 1850s.
Where: Kyauktada Township
Admission: 5,000 MMK (~$1.16)
Botahtaung Pagoda
Traditionally founded over 2,500 years ago to enshrine relics brought from India; destroyed by bombing in 1943 and rebuilt in 1948-53.
Where: Botahtaung Township
Admission: 6,000 MMK (~$1.40)
Yangon City Hall
A 1936 civic building that blends Burmese pyatthat roofs with colonial architecture, the symbolic centre of the colonial downtown.
Where: Kyauktada Township
Admission: Free (exterior)
The Strand Hotel
A Sarkies-brothers colonial hotel that hosted writers and travellers from Kipling-era Burma to the present.
Where: Kyauktada Township
Admission: Free (public areas)
Musmeah Yeshua Synagogue
The last working synagogue in Myanmar, serving what remains of Yangon's once-thriving Baghdadi Jewish community.
Where: Pabedan Township
Admission: Free (donation requested)
Holy Trinity Cathedral
An Anglican cathedral in red-brick Gothic Revival, built for the colonial administration's Church of England community.
Where: Pabedan Township
Admission: Free
Bogyoke Aung San Museum
The preserved family home of General Aung San, architect of Burma's independence, left as it was at his assassination in 1947.
Where: Bahan Township
Admission: 5,000 MMK (~$1.16)
National Museum of Myanmar
The national collection, including the Sihasana Lion Throne from Mandalay palace and Buddhist, ethnographic and royal art.
Where: Dagon Township
Admission: 5,000 MMK (~$1.16)
Kaba Aye Pagoda and Maha Pasana Guha
Built for the Sixth Buddhist Council, whose 2,500th Buddha Jayanti celebration the government marked with this pagoda and the nearby artificial cave.
Where: Mayangone/Yankin
Admission: Free (donations welcome)
U Thant House
The former home of U Thant, the Burmese diplomat who served as UN Secretary-General (1961-71), now a small museum and cultural centre.
Where: Kamayut Township
Admission: Free (visitors by arrangement; verify)
Lawkanat Gallery House (Sofaer's Building)
A restored colonial trading-house building on Pansodan Road, now an art gallery and example of downtown heritage reuse.
Where: Kyauktada Township
Admission: Free (gallery visits)
Museums
Curated collections that tell Yangon's story.
National Museum of Myanmar (Yangon)
Bogyoke Aung San Museum
U Thant House
Historical tours
Guided experiences that bring history to life.
Yangon Heritage Trust heritage walks
The Yangon Heritage Trust (22-24 Strand Road, Kyauktada) is the main body protecting the colonial downtown; check its current programme for guided walks.