Ayutthaya

Ayutthaya is a city full of history and a UNESCO World Heritage Site

AyutthayaThe former capital of Siam during 477 years, Ayutthaya is a city full of historyand classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Despite the partial destruction of the site by the Burmese people in the 18thcentury, the remains of the gigantic Buddhist monasteries enable to measure themagnitude of the city.

Founded around 1350, Ayutthaya became the second capital of Siam after Sukhothai.Throughout the centuries, the ideal location between China, India and the MalayArchipelago made it the trading capital of Asia and even the world.

By 1700 Ayutthaya had become the largest city in the world with a total of 1million inhabitants. Many international merchants set sail for Ayutthaya, fromdiverse regions as the Arab world, China, India, Japan, Portugal, the Netherlandsand France.

Merchants from Europe proclaimed Ayutthaya as the finest city they had ever seen.Dutch and French maps of the city show grandeur with gold-laden palaces, largeceremonies and a huge float of trading vessels from all over the world. All thiscame to a quick end when the Burmese invaded in 1767 and almost completely burntthe city down to the ground.

Today, only a few remains might give a glimpse of the impressive city they musthave seen. Its remains are characterized by the prang (reliquary towers) and bigmonasteries. Most of the remains are temples and palaces, as those were the onlybuildings made of stone at that time.

The great cultural value of the ruins were officially recognized in 1991, when theHistoric City became an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its proximity to Bangkok makeit a popular day-trip destination for travelers from Bangkok.

Located on an island at the confluence of three rivers: the Chao Phraya River, theLopburi River and the Pa Sak River. The train station is at the east side off theisland so most visitors will need to cross the river by ferry boat.

Ayutthaya is a city full of history and a UNESCO World Heritage Site

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