Suu Kyi warns against shoddy repair jobs on Bagan temples

Heritage restoration is no place for amateurs. Let the immortal story of the Spanish woman and her horribly botched Jesus fresco live forever as a reminder of that.

And if that’s not enough, just listen to Aung San Suu Kyi.

In the wake of the powerful earthquake that killed several people and damaged scores of pagodas in Bagan on Wednesday, state counselor Suu Kyi has urged that care be taken in restoring the ancient site.

While at least 200 pagodas have been affected, the country’s leader has told the Ministry of Religious and Cultural Affairs not to rush into repair work, presidential spokesperson Zaw Htay told the Global New Light of Myanmar.

The magnitude 6.8 earthquake was relatively deep, at 84km, striking 25km west of Chauk, near to Bagan.

The ancient site has been rumbled before. In 1975, a strong quake severely damaged many temples, some irreparably.

Repairs subsequently carried out under the former ruling military junta were notoriously haphazard and ignited the ire of art historians and heritage experts worldwide, who say the work ignored original architectural style.

The poor restoration has been cited as a factor in Bagan’s failure to win UNESCO World Heritage Site status.

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