Travel advisory: American authorities advise against all travel to Myanmar. British authorities advise against all but essential travel to Mandalay and against all travel to Sagaing Region and the area north of Mandalay city. Armed conflict, drone strikes, curfews and communications blackouts are ongoing, and the March 2025 earthquake damaged many sights. Read the latest from the US State Department and UK FCDO before planning anything.

Workshops in Mandalay Region

The region has long been associated with craft production, from gold leaf and marble carving in Mandalay to silk and cotton weaving and bronze work in the surrounding old capitals. The status of every workshop is unconfirmed.

Crafts the region is known for

• Gold leaf and marble: traditionally made in Mandalay city, where earthquake damage was reported at Mahamuni Pagoda and at Kuthodaw Pagoda.
• Weaving and painting: found in villages around Amarapura, Inwa and Sagaing. Inwa lost most of its historic structures to damage, and Sagaing lies in a region where the UK advises against all travel.
• Lake crafts: silk and lotus weaving belong to Inle Lake in Shan State, not to this region.

Workshop websites could not be verified and are not linked. Visitors to temple-based workshops have always been expected to cover shoulders and knees.