Why the Shwedagon Stupa is special
Its gleaming spire is thickly plated in gold and liberally crowned with diamonds, rupees and other precious gems. The Shwedagon Pagoda was built to house sacred hairs of Buddha.
The pagoda stands nearly 100-meters (300-feet) high on top of a strategic hill. This allows it to command the skyline of Yangon (formerly Rangoon), the capital of Myanmar (formerly Burma).
Nighttime spotlights give the Shwedagon Pagoda an entirely different visual aura - its golden surface glows as if internally lit.
An eye-catching complex of religious buildings closely surround the Shwedagon Pagoda, making the setting even more enthralling.

Unknown age
No one knows for sure the age of the Shwedagon Pagoda. Experts give estimates ranging from 1000 to 2500 years, dating it back to the time of Buddha. What historians do know is that over the centuries the Shwedagon Pagoda was destroyed by earthquakes and quickly rebuilt, usually to higher heights.

What leading travel books say about the Shwedagon Pagoda
The Shwedagon Stupa rises above the cityscape, a vision of glistening gold.
Southeast Asia
Frommer's

The Shwedagon Stupa is always full of worshipers making offerings, meditating and telling beads.
Burma
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