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This photo taken on September 30, 2009 shows the Shwesandaw pagoda (L) at dusk in Bagan. Once the capital of the first Myanma Kingdom, Bagan is home to over 2,500 Buddhist monuments built between the 10th and 14th centuries AD. The mural paintings contained within some 300 temples represent a unique collection of southeast Asian religious art from this period. Bagan has been on a tentative list of World Heritage cadidate sites since it was submitted by Myanmar in 1996 despite which the military junta has overseen the building of modern structures in the area. AFP PHOTO / NICOLAS ASFOURI