Asaykhan Fortress

Name of a fortress on the Western bank of the Irrawaddy River (fig.), opposite of Ava and named after the district of Sagaing (fig.) it is located in. It was built in a semi-circle by French and Italian engineers during the reign of King Mindon Min (fig.) and is one of three forts built along the river in defense of Mandalay, the others being Sin Kyone Fortress (fig.) and Tha Byae Tan Fortress (fig.). During the third and final Anglo-Burmese War, which was fought from 7 to 29 November 1885, a 2,726 strong army, made up of both foot soldiers and cavalry, reportedly used Asaykhan Fortress as their base camp to fight the British colonial troops. Following the war, an independent Burma lost its sovereignty under the Konbaung dynasty and Burma became a province of British India, under the rule of the British Raj, whilst the Burmese King Thibaw Min was dethroned and exiled to India, together with the rest of the royal family. See MAP. 回