The Kingdom of Pagan (also commonly known as the Pagan Dynasty and the Pagan Empire) was the first kingdom to unify the regions that would later constitute modern-day Burma (Myanmar). Pagan's 250-year rule over the Irrawaddy valley and its periphery laid the foundation for the ascent of Burmese language and culture, the spread of Burman ethnicity in Upper Burma, and the growth of Theravada Buddhism in Burma and in mainland Southeast Asia.

A bulky tree appears to have crashed down on the roof of this clapped-out Citroen. The haunting images were taken by Belgian security guard, Kenneth Provost at various locations across Germany and Belgium. (Photo by Kenneth Provost/Mediadrumworld.com)

Belarusian people take part in the Ivan Kupala festival near the town of Rakov, west of Minsk June 27, 2015. The ancient tradition, originating from pagan times, is usually marked with grand overnight festivities. On Kupala night, people sing and dance around campfires, believing it will purge them of their sins and make them healthier. (Photo by Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters)

In Omdurman, the largest city in Sudan, the Qadiriyya Sufi order meets every Friday outside Sheikh Hamed Al Nil mosque, which houses the tomb of their 19th century Sufi leader. (Photo by Ala Kheir, John Burns and Ibrahim Algrefwi/Brownbook)

Flash, a golden retriever, plays with a toy following a press event for the American Kennel Club to reveal the nations most popular dog breeds in the Manhattan borough of New York, February 22, 2016. (Photo by Carlo Allegri/Reuters)

Yeshiva School students briefly dance on Grant Street after the menorah lighting outside of the City-County Building for the fifth night of Hanukkah, Thursday, December 26, 2019, in downtown Pittsburgh. (Photo by Alexandra Wimley/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP Photo)

Replicas of Joseph Stalin uniforms are offered to tourists who can rent them and wear them for a picture outside Stalin's bunker in Samara, Russia, on Tuesday, June 26, 2018. Stalin's secret WWII bunker has become the unlikely meeting point for thousands of cheerful fans who have arrived to the city during the World Cup days. (Photo by Luis Andres Henao/AP Photo)

Myanmar punks walk in the downtown area as they take part in a punk gathering ahead of the Thingyan water festival in Yangon, Myanmar, 12 April 2017. Myanmar punks have been gathering in Yangon on the day ahead of Thingyan water festival to celebrate every year. The annual water festival is marked with large groups of people congregating to celebrate by splashing water and throwing powder at each others faces as a symbolic sign of cleansing and washing away the sins from the old year to mark the traditional New Year in countries such as Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. This year, the Myanmar Thingyan water festival falls on 13 April and ends on 16 April. (Photo by Lynn Bo Bo/EPA)