YANGON, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar will submit a nomination to UNESCO for the inclusion of its ancient town, Mrauk U, in western Rakhine state as a world heritage site.
So far, 70 percent of the draft nomination dossiers have been completed and will be ready by July for the submission to the World Heritage Center by the end of September, said U Kyaw Lwin Oo, director-general of the Department of Archaeology, National Museum and Library, at a coordination meeting on Wednesday.
U Kyaw Lwin Oo expected the town to be listed as a world heritage site by 2021 after a UNESCO's inspection.
Mrauk U, formerly known as Mrohaung, is an archaeologically important town in Rakhine State and was the capital of the Mrauk U Kingdom from 1429 to 1785.
Mrauk U lies about 11 km east of the Kaladan River on the banks of its minor tributaries. The town is located on a small outcrop of the Rakhine Yoma on the eastern side of the Kaladan's alluvial plain.
The main attractions of Mrauk U are the temples and ruins. The remains of the main palace roughly form the center of the town.
