Mogok
Mogok, where most of priceless Gems are mined,
lies in a beautiful mountain valley, 128 miles to
the north-east of Mandalay, and 60 miles to the east
of Ayeyarwady river.
Mogok, where most of priceless Gems are mined,
lies in a beautiful mountain valley, 128 miles to
the north-east of Mandalay, and 60 miles to the east
of Ayeyarwady river. There is the Great Lake of
Mogok in the centre of the town, lying like a pool
in the garden.The mountain ranges of Mogok are a
part of the great Shan plateau but the town itself
is in Mandalay Division. The residents are mostly
Lisus and Shans who make their living by mining and
cutting, polishing and marketing gemstones. For
centuries, gems such as rubies and sapphires were
found at Mogok abundantly and very easilyso easy
that they were literally scopped up by hand from
among tufts of grass-roots in the hill-side kitchen
garden. Gems so begotten are now known as
'grass-root stones'. And the kind of loose upper
soil where they are easily found is named 'Manipur
paydirt' because in old days Manipur immigrants were
those ordered by the king to work the mines. In
those days the price of ordinary rubies was, almost
nothing. They were seen everywhere, bought and sold
everyday. Only extraordinary ones, large, flawless
and of pigeon-blood colour, were considered as
something worthy. Rich men, lords and ladies,
Sawbwas (chieftains) and kings used to collect only
those extraordinary gem-stones. And among gems,
rubies rank No.1.
Mogok and its environs Momeik, Twin, nge',
Thabeikkyin and Waphyudaung together has a
gem-bearing area of 1916 sq. miles. There are now
over 1000 mines, which are of two main types tunnel
and open-cut. Small-scale traditional mines, such as
lay-bin-gyin (four-sided pits, three feet square)
are also worked in some places. Rubies and sapphires
are found in most of the mines and they bring the
highest prices. Mogok also produces numerous gems of
lesser quality such as alexandrite, amethyst,
apatite, aquamarine, black tourmaline, black John,
danburite, flourite, garnet, green tourmaline, lapis
lazuli, moonstone, peridot, quartz, rose quartz,
spinel, topaz, white sapphire, zircon.
Mogok then and now, is a city of gems, the heart
of the gem-zone and the centre of the gem trade.
Some years in the past, private mines were all
closed and even Myanmar nationals on visit to Mogok
hadn't the chance to see how the famous mines
worked.
If you really are interested in gems, Mogok in
Myanmar is a must in your tour program, among other
gem sites of the world.You should have enough time
(at least 3 days) for the round trip from Mandalay
to Mogok because it is a 128 mile motor-road (about
7 hour drive) and you have so many things to see and
study about gem-mining, not to mention those lovely
Lisu and Shan villages which adorn the misty
valleys. After you have passed Letpanhla, the
halfway stop for lunch, you are among the famous
gem-producing hills, and the rock-formations will
mesmerise you if you are a geologist. At Mogok
you'll be very busy the whole day. First, make a
pilgrimage to Chanthagyi Pagoda the name implies
you'll be immensely rich soon! Then to Mogok
gem-market, where you just watch others buy and sell
and get thrilled. At Shwepyiaye ruby mine, see the
collection of gem gravels which are then washed and
scrutinised the work of mining from start to finish.
You'll have to go to the lapidary works to study how
the stones are cut and polished, ready for making
jewellry. In the evening, climb up Kyeenitaung to
take a sunset view of Mogok and to gaze wistfully
towards those lovely Lisu villages.At Kyatpyin, 7
miles from Mogok on your return journey, you have
the opportunity to see all kinds of gem-sites, large
and small, worked in different method.
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