Jonathan Jordan
The attack on the Gokteik Viaduct in Shan State, Myanmar, on August 24 may not resonate with many, being not particularly well-known outside of Myanmar. Yet the structure carries significant weight in the country’s history.
At the time of its construction 124 years ago, the viaduct was a marvel of logistics and engineering skill, and the longest railway trestle bridge in the world. An attempt to connect colonial Yangon with Kunming, China, the 102-meter-tall structure played witness to significant events in the recent history of Myanmar, including the nineteenth-century power plays between the British and the French in the Shan hills, and the dueling strategic objectives of Britain and Japan during the Second World War. It has seen the rise and fall of Burmese Communists, the Chinese Kuomintang, and Shan and Kachin revolutionary groups. The military junta, which seized power in an attempted military coup in Myanmar in February 2021, has accused the Ta-ang National Liberation Army of last month’s damage to the viaduct.
Myanmar’s cultural heritage, despite being less well known, is comparable to those of neighboring Thailand and Cambodia. The Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon is said to predate both Bangkok’s Wat Arun and Cambodia’s Angkor Wat. Two sites in Myanmar have thus far officially been inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List: a collection of three of the Pyu City States, whose people were among the first inhabitants of the region; and Bagan, which was the capital of the first unified kingdom that would later become Myanmar. Other sites, including the city of Mrauk-U, Inle Lake, and Shwedagon Pagoda, are on the tentative list and under consideration for inscription by the World Heritage Committee. As of July 2025, UNESCO has inscribed 1,248 sites across 170 countries, in an attempt to preserve and protect our shared heritage.
Heritage sites can contribute significantly to a nation’s economy through the tourism sector, but they are also an important source of historical knowledge and cultural identity. Beyond the architecture, these sites enshrine the beliefs, memories, and legacy of communities. They act as bridges connecting present locations to a people’s past and future, providing a sense of belonging and harboring lessons learned from history. The destruction of cultural heritage and representative sites, therefore, can have significant impacts on cultural memory and social cohesion.
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