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.

These poignant portraits look to shine awareness on the plight of some of the world’s most endangered ecosystems and species of wildlife. The images combine animals, art and celebrity, with Asia's top models posing with the likes of rhinos, giraffes, leopards and marine life. Here: Mikki Yao with an Asian Elephant. (Photo by Sean Lee-Davies/Caters News)

Karima Adebibe, the newly crowned face of Lara Croft, poses, with a Burmese python on the eve of the release of the record breaking new video game “Lara Croft Tomb Raider; Legend” at The Barbican on April 6, 2006 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

An AI Gamer “Q56” robot plays a video game during a demonstration at the Bandai Namco Holdings Inc. booth at the Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies in Chiba, Japan on October 16, 2019. (Photo by Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg)

Megan Thee Stallion performs during the MTV Video Music Awards on Tuesday, September 12, 2023, at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP Photo)

An attendee makes a video with the new iPhone 16 Pro as Apple holds an event at the Steve Jobs Theater on its campus in Cupertino, California on September 9, 2024. (Photo by Manuel Orbegozo/Reuters)

American singer Chappell Roan is seen shooting a new music video on July 08, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by BG048/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)

Kat Graham attends the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on August 30, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mike Windle/Getty Images for MTV)