The great Shwedagon pagoda in Rangoon Burma is one of those places you will never ever forget. Dominating Rangoon on Singuttara Hill a few kilometers north of the City the main feature , the stupa is plated with 8688 solid gold slabs . The tip of the stupa is set wit thousands of diamonds, rubies, sapphires and topaz.The massive bell shaped stupa is nearly 100 meters high . While the origins of the pagoda are shrouded in legend it was certainly established by the time Pagan dominated the area in the 11th century.