The sarees of Amarapura

What is woven here

The acheik pattern is woven with many small shuttles, and the weaver builds wavy bands of coloured thread in the cloth. The weaving is slow and a single cloth can take a long time. The same town weaves plain and patterned silk and cotton longyi, the wrapped lower cloth worn by men and women in Myanmar. Colours are rich and the cloth is stiff and heavy.

The craft and its people

The weaving is done in workshops and homes, by many weavers working in rows of looms. Mandalay Region has a long tradition of silk weaving linked with the court of the last Burmese kings. The htamein is worn at weddings, festivals and in formal dress, and the tradition is sometimes compared with the Indian saree as another form of wrapped cloth.

Seeing it

Workshops in Amarapura let visitors watch weavers at the looms, and shops there sell silk and cotton cloth. The U Bein bridge over Taungthaman Lake is the town's best known sight. Mandalay is close by, so the weaving visit can be added to a day in the city.

A trail idea for Amarapura

1. A silk-weaving workshop Watch rows of looms working the wavy acheik pattern with many small shuttles.
2. A cloth shop in Amarapura Compare silk and cotton htamein and longyi and ask what each pattern is called.
3. U Bein Bridge Walk the long teak bridge across the lake at the edge of the town, which is the area's best known landmark.