This photograph was taken before a 1975 earthquake that damaged many of Bagan's historic buildings, most built between the 11th and 14th centuries. In the years since, the military government of Myanmar has undertaken a controversial restoration effort. To the dismay of many archaeologists and historians, the restoration has been conducted with little regard for historical accuracy.

(Photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Pagan: On the Road to Mandalay," March 1971, National Geographic magazine)