Criterion (iii): Bagan is an exceptional and continuing testimony to the Buddhist cultural tradition of merit making, and to the peak of Bagan civilisation in the 11th-13th centuries when it was the capital of a regional empire. While the evidence of practices of merit-making are common in many Buddhist sites and areas, the influences established in the Bagan period, and the scale and diversity of expressions, and continuing traditions make Bagan exceptional. The integrity is vulnerable due to the multiple factors affecting Bagan, tourism and development pressures, environmental pressures and natural disasters. Management and protection requirementsLegal protection of Bagan is provided by the newly amended Law for Protection and Preservation of Cultural Heritage Regions No. The Bagan National Coordinating Committee (BAGANCOM) has been established by the national government as the decision-making body for Bagan, ensuring inter-agency coordination.