Ancient Arakan
7th – 14th c.
Coastal beginnings
Muslim merchants, sailors, and settlers integrate with Arakanese society along the Bay of Bengal.
1 / 10A digital museum of Rohingya history
The story of a people, told with dignity.
For more than a millennium the Rohingya have lived on the coast of Arakan. Walk through their history, meet their living communities on every continent, and help write the next chapter.
4.5M
Rohingya worldwide
1982
Stateless since
21
Countries of refuge
Arakan · Bangladesh · Diaspora worldwide
Educate
Clear, sourced explanations of more than a thousand years of Rohingya history.
Preserve
Language, oral history, traditions, and faith — kept alive in one place.
Amplify
Voices from inside Arakan, the camps of Cox's Bazar, and the global diaspora.
By the numbers
What the record shows
Each figure links to the organisation that publishes it. Numbers are estimates and change over time.
A THOUSAND YEARS STILL ONGOING
The Rohingya story, in fragments
Tap any card to read the full chapter.
Rohingya, worldwide
Where the community lives today
The Rohingya are one of the world's most persecuted peoples. Forced from their homeland in Myanmar by decades of violence, citizenship denial, and repeated military operations, most now live as refugees or stateless diaspora across South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and the West. Each pin marks a community shaped by displacement — families who rebuilt lives in camps, cities, and foreign countries while still carrying the memory of home.
🇧🇩
Bangladesh
Estimated population~1,570,000
Hosts the world's largest refugee settlement at Cox's Bazar since the 2017 exodus.
CommunityKutupalong, Balukhali, 34+ camps in Cox's Bazar, and Bhasan Char.
Rohingya communities
Largest populations (Bangladesh, Myanmar, Malaysia)
Other diaspora countries
Historical timeline
A thousand years of Arakan, in sequence
Mrauk-U
1430 – 1784
The Mrauk-U Kingdom
A cosmopolitan Buddhist–Muslim kingdom where Rohingya ancestors hold court positions and trade across Asia.
2 / 10Burmese conquest
1784
Arakan falls
The Konbaung dynasty annexes Arakan; mass displacement begins.
3 / 10Colonial
1826 – 1948
Under British rule
Arakan becomes part of British Burma. Rohingya labour and migration are reshaped by empire.
4 / 10Independence
1948
Burma independent
Brief recognition: Rohingya serve in parliament and government.
5 / 10Citizenship erased
1982
The Citizenship Law
Rohingya are excluded from the list of 'national races' — rendered stateless overnight.
6 / 10Operations
1978 / 1991
Mass expulsions
Operations Naga Min and Pyi Thaya drive hundreds of thousands into Bangladesh.
7 / 10Genocide
2016 – 2017
Clearance operations
Burning villages, sexual violence, mass killings. 700,000+ flee to Cox's Bazar.
8 / 10Justice
2019 →
ICJ & ICC cases
Genocide proceedings opened at the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.
9 / 10Today
Present
A global community
A people scattered across Asia, the Gulf, Europe, North America, Oceania — still without a homeland.
10 / 10Scroll to move through the timeline. Each card links to a full, sourced chapter.
History, chapter by chapter
Walk through the story
Fourteen chapters from the kingdom of Mrauk-U to the present day.
AI tools
Ask questions. Cross any language. for more history
Built to support learning, research, and connection across the global Rohingya community.
Rohingya Assistant
Ask anything about Rohingya history, culture, or the current situation. Powered by Gemini, grounded in human-rights reporting.
Open the assistant
Translator
Translate between Rohingya (Rohingyalish), English, Burmese, Bengali, Arabic, Urdu, and Malay with a single click.
Open the translator
Voices
In their own words
"We are not new to this land. Our roots are deeper than the names of empires."
From oral history, Maungdaw
"Even in the camps, we teach our children the alphabet of who they are."
Rohingya teacher, Cox's Bazar
Monthly briefing
Stay with the story.
One thoughtful email each month — new chapters, camp updates, museum additions, and language resources. Submitting opens your email app so your request reaches our editors directly.
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