Bagan Archaeological Museum — Attraction in Nyaung-U District

Humble but highly informative. It's a massive building but don't be intimidated. The exhibits inside are simple but full of useful information. If possible, visit here before touring the many temples in Bagan. Unless you are a historian specializing in the Bagan Period and other Southeast Asian cultures, you'll learn a lot of useful information about crosscurrents, architectural approaches, history, religious beliefs resulting in various depictions of the Buddha and more. I wish I had realized how I could have developed a sharper appreciation for /understanding of what I was seeing the previous day! Allow 1-2 hours. Almost every caption and sign provides English...

I honestly don't know what all the other reviews mean when they say this a good museum...

The museum costs 5,000 kyats. There is no specific planning or timeline for the collection. Though there is information on the indigenous peoples within the Bagan region and their everyday lives, there is no relevant information on how Bagan came to be.

The collection is not that impressive or interesting. It contains mostly buddha statues, and indigenous peoples' tools. The most interesting part is the display on the different hairstyles that the royals could've had.

I really urge the staff to work on creating a plan so that the museum can be more interesting...

Huge historic museum with lots of artifacts, well labeled and informative, architectural models and paintings. Worth coming to learn some background before going around the pagodas. The museum's own architecture is hideous. One star off because you are not allowed to bring any thing in with you, including cameras, or water (there is no cafe) and must leave your bags in unguarded lockers. In addition, the toilets were in an unbelievable state of filth. The staff mainly sit in groups talking rather than doing anything. The top floor is closed, I heard that is as a result of the damage from the recent earthquake. Closes early and is...