The massive Mandalay Fortress is an essential landmark, as majestic as it is imposing.
Its grandeur and scale will surprise you — fitting, since it once housed the royal palace.
Its square perimeter, 9 m high and 3 m thick, is surrounded by a moat 75 m wide. It is fitted with splendid battlements and towers rising toward the sky. Today, the fort serves administrative and military functions. It is one of the many treasures of this magnificent city.
If you are drawn to sacred places charged with powerful, positive energy, Mandalay is for you.
You will feel this remarkable aura, and the deeply sacred Shwenandaw Monastery will leave you spiritually astonished.
Mandalay also offers a number of other notable sites well worth mentioning.
The Mahamuni Buddha Temple is a major pilgrimage site. You can watch pilgrims — men only — walk behind the immense Buddha statue.
Zegyo Market hosts around 6,000 vendors, offering plenty of opportunity to bring home beautiful souvenirs.