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Sittwe (Burmese: စစ်တွေမြို့; formerly, Akyab) is the capital of Rakhine State, Myanmar (Burma). Sittwe, pronounced site-tway in the Rakhine language, is located on an estuarial island created at the confluence of the Kaladan, Myu, and Lemyo rivers emptying into the Bay of Bengal. The 2006 population 181,000 and it is the provincial capital.
[edit] EtymologyThe name Sittwe is the Burmese version of Rakhine Saite-Twêy (literally, "the place where the war meets"). When the Burmese King Bodawpaya invaded the Mrauk-U Kingdom in 1784, the Rakhine defenders encountered the Burmese force at the mouth of Kalandan river. In the ensuing battle, which was waged on both land and water, the Mrauk-U forces were defeated. The place where the battle occurred came to be called Saite Twêy by the Rakhine, and colloquialized as Sittwe by the Burmese. In early 1825, during the First Anglo-Burmese War, the British forces landed at Sittwe and stationed their forces by the ancient pagoda, Ahkyaib-daw, which is still standing at the head of the city. The British adopted the name Akyab for the place. [edit] HistoryOriginally a small fishing village, Sittwe became an important seat of maritime commerce, especially as a port for the export of rice after the British occupation of Arakan, now known as Rakhine State, following the First Anglo-Burmese War. Sittwe was the location of a battle during the conquest of Arakan by the Burmese king Bodawpaya. In 1784, the Burmese expeditionary force, some 30,000 strong, encountered the governor of Urittaung Province, Saite-ké (General) Aung and his force of 3000[2]. Outnumbered hugely, the Arakanese force tried to fight the Burmese forces on both land and sea, but were brutally crushed. This defeat opened the route towards the inland Arakanese capital of Mrauk-U, which was soon conquered, ending the independence of the Arakanese. According to Arakanese lore, all of the Arakanese defenders were killed. In 1826, after the First Anglo-Burmese War, the British transferred the seat of government from to Sittwe on the seacoast. During the first 40 years of British rule it increased from a village to a town of 15,536 inhabitants, and by 1901 it was the third port of Burma with a population of 31,687. During colonial times, Site-tway had a bad reputation for malaria and cholera, although historical records indicate that it was no better or worse than many other locations along the India coast. Sittwe is the birthplace of political monks in Myanmar. It was the birthplace of U Ottama, who was the first monk to protest against the colonial British. Also, in the recent 2007 riots, it was the monks in Site-tway who were the first to protest. [edit] DemographicsThe city is predominantly Buddhist but there is a large Muslim so-called Rohingya commuinity as well as other Muslim groups causing ethnic and religious tensions. More than 40 percent are Muslims by religion.[3] Ahkyaib-daw, is one of the most sacred Buddhist pagodas, believed to have built in the days of Emperor Asoka (r. 269-232 BCE). The pagoda Ahkyaib-daw, meaning maxillary bone, is believed to be built on a foundation encasing a piece of Buddha’s maxillary bone hence its name.[4] [edit] EducationThe city is home to the Sittwe University. [edit] EconomyIn February 2007, India announced a plan to develop the port, which would enable ocean access from Indian Northeastern states like Mizoram, via the Kaladan River.[5]. Sittwe's citizenry, especially Buddhist monks, have participated in the 2007 Burmese anti-government protests [edit] OtherBritish writer Hector Hugh Munro, better known under his pen name Saki, was born in Sittwe in 1870, and returned to Burma, as it was then, to work as a young police officer. [edit] Image gallery
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Coordinates: 20°08′40″N 92°53′49″E / 20.14444°N 92.89694°E | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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