Mawlamyine
First capital of British Burma and historic Mon port city.
Mawlamyine (formerly Moulmein) is the fourth-largest city in Myanmar (Burma) and the capital of Mon State.
- Country
- Myanmar (Burma)
- Region
- Mon State
- Former Name
- Moulmein
- Population Rank
- Fourth-largest city in Myanmar
Lore & Background
Mawlamyine's Mon name means 'damaged eye' or 'one-eyed man,' linked to a legend of a three-eyed Mon king whose third eye was destroyed by a neighboring king's daughter. The Burmese name is a corruption of the Mon name.
Reader's Guide
It became a center of colonial administration, trade, and the country's first newspaper, The Maulmain Chronicle. The city's prosperity grew through timber trade until the 1890s. It hosted consulates from Germany, Siam, Persia, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Italy, and the United States. During WWII, the city was a first objective of the Japanese invasion. Today, Mawlamyine is a transport hub, connected by the Thanlwin Bridge, and retains its port and airport.
Did You Know?
- The city's Mon name means 'damaged eye' or 'one-eyed man,' from a legend of a three-eyed king.
- Rudyard Kipling's poem 'Mandalay' mentions 'the old Moulmein pagoda,' thought to be Kyaik Than Lan.
More in Cities Starting With M 1-24
Elsewhere in the Cities Starting With M universe
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