Sagaing was the capital of
Sagaing Kingdom (1315–1364), one of the minor kingdoms that rose up after the fall of
Pagan dynasty, where one of
Thihathu's sons,
Athinkhaya, established himself. During the
Ava period (1364–1555), the city was the common
fief of the crown prince or senior princes. During the reign of King
Naungdawgyi, Sagaing briefly became the royal capital between 1760 and 1763. On 8 August 1988, Sagaing was the site of mass public protests in support of the
8888 Uprising, which were brutally crushed by a massacre in which around 300 civilians were killed by local police forces. Despite its name, the town is not the capital of Sagaing Region. However, groups including the civil society group "Steering Committee for the Return of All Regional Offices to Sagaing City in Accordance with the Constitution" object to this saying that the use of
Monywa as the regional capital is unconstitutional per the
2008 Constitution of Myanmar. As the epicentre of the 7.7-magnitude
2025 Sagaing earthquake, the city suffered loss of life as well as extensive damage to its buildings and infrastructure alongside neighbouring Mandalay. The
Ava Bridge, one of two road-rail bridges connecting Sagaing to Mandalay, has partially collapsed. The city's fire station also collapsed, hampering relief efforts and trapping many. More than 100 bodies were recovered from the rubble of destroyed builings and 90 percent of structures were destroyed. An estimated over 150 Muslim worshippers in the city died across three collapsed mosques. Out of the five mosques in Sagaing, four collapsed due to the earthquake. The Min Street Mosque is feared to have collapsed with over 100 people inside. Several monastic schools and a nunnery in the city were also damaged, likely killing people in the hundreds and trapping over 900 monks across four schools. ==Demographics==