Sagaing, with numerous Buddhist monasteries, is an important religious and monastic centre.

The pagodas and monasteries crowd the numerous hills along the ridge running parallel to the river.

The classical name of Sagaing is Zeyapura (ဇေယျာပူရ; Pali: Jayapura), which literally translates to "city of victory.

On 8 August 1988, Sagaing was the site of demonstrations which were concluded by a massacre in which around 300 civilians were killed.

The city receives less than a third of the rainfall that Chittagong has at a similar latitude on the Bay of Bengal.