Sittwe (, ), formerly Akyab (), is the capital of Rakhine State, Myanmar (Burma). Sittwe is located on an estuarial island created at the confluence of the Kaladan, Mayu, and Lay Mro rivers emptying into the Bay of Bengal. As of 2019 the city has an estimated population of over 120,000 inhabitants. It is the administrative seat of Sittwe Township and Sittwe District.

Names

The name Sittwe () is derived from the Burmese pronunciation of Arakanese , meaning "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 Kaladan 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 Saittwe by the Rakhine and then as Sittwe by the Burmese. The name was initially anglicized as Tset-twe and Site-tway.

According to local traditions, the city's name originated from "Sit-tai" referring to a place where Arakan royal naval forces would temporarily rest and camp. Over time, the name gradually evolved into "Sittwe".

The colonial name Akyab () derived from the town's hill Akyatkundaw or A-khyat-dau-kun<!--replace with modern transcription once known--> (), named for one of its four stupas whose own name Ankyeit, Akyattaw, Akyatdaw or Ahkyaib-daw<!--and provide Burmese form: ?တော်?--> ("Royal Rear-Jaw Pagoda") referenced its supposed possession of a Buddhist relic, a rear section of Siddhartha Gautama's jawbone.

History

thumb|Police checkpoint next to [[Aung Mingalar in Sittwe]]

The area of modern Sittwe was the location of a battle during the conquest of the Kingdom of Mrauk U (later Arakan and now Rakhine State, Myanmar) by the Burmese king Bodawpaya. In 1784, a Burmese expeditionary force said to be 30,000 strong encountered the governor of U-rit-taung Province, General ("Saite-ké") Aung and his force of 3000. Although heavily outnumbered, 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<!--in Sittwe? or throughout the kingdom?--> of the Arakanese defenders were killed.

Sittwe was only a small fishing village at the time of the British conquest of Burma, but its four poorly maintained stupas Akyattaw, Thingyittawdhāt, Letyatalundaw, and Letwetalundaw were later claimed to date to the 16th century and to hold various relics of the Buddha: part of his rear jawbone, his thigh, his right shinbone, and his left shinbone respectively.

The local defenses were stormed by the British under Gen. Morrison in 1825 during the First Anglo-Burmese War. Despite Morrison and many of his men succumbing to malaria, cholera, and other tropical diseases to the point the entire settlement was abandoned for a time, the port was chosen to serve as Arakan's seat of government in 1826 largely because Mrauk U was considered even more unhealthy. It was renamed Akyab after the town's hill and its eponymous pagoda. The bell of the pagoda at the Mahamuni Buddha Temple south of Mandalay was removed to the basement of the Akyab courthouse until 1867.

Sittwe was developed highly into a formal town beginning with Mi Zan Ward under the guidance of British colonial officials alongside Arakanese leaders. Under British occupation, the town grew into an important maritime base, particularly for the export of the area's rice. In the 1860s, the Consulate General of the United States (Kolkata) had a consular agency in Akyab. The four stupas along the ridge overlooking the town were rebuilt in the late 19th century very plainly and unattractively.

During World War II, Sittwe was an important site of many battles during the Burma Campaign due to its possession of both an airfield and a deepwater port.

On August 13, 1967, in Sittwe, security forces under General Ne Win's regime fired upon civilians in a protest demanding rice, killing over 300 protesters.

Sittwe is the birthplace of political monks in Myanmar. It was the birthplace of U Ottama, the first monk who protested against the colonial British in Myanmar. Also, in the recent 2007 protest marches, known as the Saffron Revolution, it was the monks in Sittwe who started the protest against the military government in Myanmar. Sittwe houses the Dhanyawadi Naval Base, named after the ancient Rakhine city-state of Dhanyawadi.

Since 2012, the Myanmar government has held tens of thousands of Rohingyas in camps at Sittwe. There are now some 140,000 Rohingyas living in poor condition huts with limited electricity and food. Rohingya refugees can not go out or move around and also not allowed to work outside of camp. The beach at Ohn Daw Gyi became the main departure point.

In early 2024, as a result of the Myanmar Civil War, Sittwe was surrounded by Arakan Army forces, which gained control of most of Rakhine State. Sittwe and a number of other cities are the only remaining areas in the state still controlled by the ruling military junta. A mass population exodus has been reported, with the only remaining avenue of escape being the airport.

In early March 2026, the Arakan Army started to advance around Sittwe.

Climate

Sittwe's climate is classified as a tropical monsoon climate (Am), according to the Köppen climate classification system. The city experiences a dry season from December through April, and an extraordinarily rainy wet season covering the remaining seven months. Sittwe sees average rainfall in excess of per month during June, July and August. Conditions are noticeably cooler and less humid in the months of December, January and February than during the remainder of the year.

Demographics

The largest ethnic group in Sittwe is the Rakhine people. Alongside, there are Rohingya Muslims and some Burmese from other parts of the country.

As of 2019, the General Administration Department reported 170,355 "Bangladeshi foreigners" living in Sittwe' metro area- Sittwe Township and only 144,773 Rakhine residents in the township. Accordingly, 53.4% of the overall township adheres to Islam. There are no comparable statistics for just the city of Sittwe as the township's population nearly doubled between 2018 and 2019.

Economy

Sittwe is politically and militarily the most important and developed city in Rakhine state. It additionally hosts international investments such as the Kaladan project. In February 2007, India announced a plan to develop the port under the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project, which would enable ocean access from Indian north-eastern states, so called "Seven sisters", like Mizoram, via the Kaladan River. The project envisions three transport links: an ocean link between Sittwe and Kolkata, a river link from Sittwe to Paletwa, and a road from Paletwa to Zorinpui in Mizoram. The ocean shipping route began in 2023. As of 2026, the road link remains incomplete due to weather, flooding and the Myanmar Civil War.

Sittwe serves as a gateway for goods from Bangladesh and supports trade with townships across Arakan. Local livelihoods are based on agriculture, fishing, shrimp farming, trade, and other activities. The city also hosts rice mills, fish and shrimp trading centers, ice plants, salt production facilities, and garment-related works. Seafood and agricultural exports are transported through Shwe Min Gan Port to Bangladesh and also distributed through multiple routes to central Myanmar. Sittwe also has local banks such as Kanbawza Bank (KBZ), Yoma Bank, Innwa Bank, Myanmar Economic Bank and other financial buildings.

  • Rakhine State Cultural Museum, which contains exhibits on Rakhine culture and history.
  • Lawkananda Pagoda, Sittwe, which is the largest Buddhist temples in Sittwe.
  • Lay Shan Taung Lighthouse, colonial era lighthouse which was built in 1844

Education

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  • Computer University, Sittwe
  • Sittwe University
  • Technological University, Sittwe

Sport

thumb|Boys playing soccer on Sittwe Beach

The 7,000-seat Wai Thar Li Stadium is the home ground of Rakhine United F.C., a Myanmar National League (MNL) football club. Dhanyawaddy Stadium, also with 7,000 capacity, is the current home ground of Arakan United FC of the Myanmar Amateur League.

Notable people

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  • Kyaw Hla Aung, civil rights activist
  • Shwe Zan Aung, scholar, translator and civil servant
  • Twan Mrat Naing, commander in chief of the Arakan Army
  • Aye Nyunt (aka Zura Begum), female politician and MP
  • Kyaw Soe Oo, investigation journalist
  • Saki (Hector Hugh Munro), writer and playwright, born in Sittwe in 1870

<gallery class="center">

File:Shwe Zedi, Sittwe, Myanmar.jpg|Shwezedi Monastery

File:Lawkananda Pagoda, Sittwe.jpg|Lawkananda Pagoda, Sittwe

File:Sittwe, Myanmar (Burma) - panoramio - mohigan (49).jpg|The main street

File:Sittwe View Point Park in 2017 March 26.jpg|Sittwe View Point Park

File:Sittwe, foreshore.JPG|Foreshore

File:Sittwe, new clock tower.JPG|New clock tower

File:Sittwe University (1).jpg|Sittwe University

File:Bya La statue in Sittwe.jpg|Bya La statue (Nawarupa) in Sittwe

File:Taxiing Aircraft at Sittwe Airport.jpg|Sittwe Airport

File:Lokananda Paya - Sittwe - Rakhaing (Arakan) State - Myanmar (Burma) (12232124364).jpg|View of Lokananda Paya

File:Monk Passes Pagoda - Sittwe - Rakhaing (Arakan) State - Myanmar (Burma) (12232268866).jpg|A monk passes through a pagoda

File:Detail of Jama Mosque in Closed-Off Compound - Sittwe - Rakhaing (Arakan) State - Myanmar (Burma) (12232183096).jpg|Sittwe Jama Mosque

</gallery>

See also

  • Point, Sittwe
  • Sittwe Airport

References

Citations

Bibliography

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  • 20° 9' 0" North, 92° 54' 0" East Satellite map at Maplandia.com
  • Kaladan.com - covering Kaladan project and news