Moksobo

Moksobo was a village in the dry plain north of Ava, later transformed into the royal city of Shwebo. Its story is inseparable from Aung Zeya, the local leader who became King Alaungpaya and founded the Konbaung dynasty. Walls, moats and a palace enclosure marked the rise of a royal capital from the village, while the surrounding fields supplied its people and armies.

In 1752 the forces of Hanthawaddy captured Ava. Aung Zeya rallied neighbouring villages at Moksobo and resisted their advance, taking the title Alaungpaya. He built up his home as a fortified capital and led campaigns that carried his power down the Irrawaddy. Ava was recovered and, by 1757, Pegu had fallen. After his death in 1760 his successors continued to rule from Moksobo for a time; the court later moved to Ava, but the old capital remained closely associated with the dynasty's beginnings.