104 places · 7 areas

Places of the Bangsamoro

Islands and white sand, lakes in the highlands, mosques, falls and the old forts and houses of the sultanates: what is there, how to get there, and what to know before you go.

Ervin Malicdem · CC BY-SA 4.0Photo by Ervin Malicdem, CC BY-SA 4.0. Open the source file.

Beaches 6

Islands 11

Mosques 10

Lakes 5

Falls 5

Mountains 7

Nature 21

Heritage 22

Museums 5

Cities 2

Markets 2

Memory 8

Every place is traced to the pages it came from, and the guide’s own entries are the travel workspace’s. Photos are from Wikimedia Commons or English Wikipedia under free licences, each credited on the photo. 7 areas: Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte and del Sur, Tawi-Tawi, Cotabato City and the Special Geographic Area.

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A gutted building in the Most Affected Area of Marawi, photographed in 2026

Places · Memory

Marawi’s Most Affected Area

Marawi, Lanao del Sur

Also known as Ground Zero

Bjeweld · CC BY-SA 4.0Photo by Bjeweld, CC BY-SA 4.0. Open the source file.

Overview

The city center destroyed in the 2017 siege, and the slow work of rebuilding it.

For five months in 2017 the center of Marawi was fought over street by street, and at the end of it the commercial and residential core of the city was rubble. Around 200,000 people were displaced. The area is officially the Most Affected Area and universally called Ground Zero.

Rebuilding has been slow, contested, and is still incomplete. Some residents have returned, many have not, and the question of compensation remains live. Mosques stand roofless in the middle of it.

Visitors do come, and people here will generally talk about what happened. But the distinction between witnessing and sightseeing matters enormously in a place where the person you are talking to lost their house, and possibly more.

Things to do

  1. 01Go with a local contactDo not walk in alone with a camera; some sections are still restricted or unsafe, so follow what you are told on the ground.
  2. 02Listen to people who lived hereResidents will generally talk about the 2017 siege, but ask before photographing anything and accept no as an answer.
  3. 03Buy your lunch hereSpending money in the rebuilt area is the most direct way a visit helps.

Food to try

  • Turmeric-yellow kuning rice and grilled chicken pater served on a banana leaf.MaranaoPalapaThe condiment the whole Maranao kitchen is built on — scallion bulb, ginger, chilli, coconut.Photo: Obsidian Soul
  • Piaparan a manok, chicken cooked with turmeric, coconut milk and grated coconut, served on a banana leaf.MaranaoPiaparanChicken or fish cooked in coconut with palapa and turmeric.Photo: Lokalpedia
  • A plate of beef rendang, the slow-cooked spiced beef that Maranao cooks call randang.MaranaoRendangThe slow-cooked dry coconut beef curry, in its Philippine form.Photo: Miansari66
  • MaranaoInatoEveryday Maranao home cooking, served as a set with rice and palapa.

The food is halal. Named eateries come from dated listings, so check they are still open.

Places to stay

Through local contacts, the city tourism office, or MSU. Online listings for Marawi are sparse and not always current.

  • hotel · MarawiRanaw Business HotelBusiness hotel used for MSSD events in Marawi, October 2026Named in 2026
  • hotel · MarawiSamsara Palace Hotel and EventHotel and events venue listed by the Bangsamoro Parliament, July 2026Named in 2026
  • hotel · MarawiSantorini Hotel, Garden Cafe and Events PlaceHotel with a garden cafe and events place, listed by the Bangsamoro Parliament, November 2024Named in 2024
  • resort · MarawiLake View ResortLakeside resort above Lake Lanao; hosted an MPOS livelihood training, May 2024Named in 2024

Each is named in an official or dated source; none could be checked against an accreditation list. No prices: rates change quickly, so confirm and book directly before you go.

Sourcesen.wikipedia.org ·en.wikipedia.org ·transitpinas.com