Thailand Travel Pages - Ancient Siam, Samut Prakan Province

Ancient Siam:

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Anyone visiting Thailand cannot fail to be enthralled by the magic of the Kingdom's colorful history. However to really immerse yourself in Thailand's historical past would take a lot of time and traveling the length and breadth of the country to discover these gems may not be everyone's idea of a holiday. A trip to Ancient Siam, just 40km south of Bangkok, however could truly open your eyes. Here you will find nearly 120 life sized or slightly scaled models of the country's most significant buildings and monuments, all set out in a park shaped like the country itself.

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Once known as the Ancient City, Ancient Siam is billed as the largest open air museum in the world. Occupying 500 rai (200 acres), the park was the idea of the late eccentric Thai millionaire Lek Viriyaphant (or Khun Lek as he is more affectionately known).

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Initially, Khun Lek had intended to build a golf course shaped liked a map of Thailand with miniatures of the nation's historically significant structures placed in their relevant positions within the landscape. However, during his research Khun Lek discovered that most of the ancient sites had been neglected and over time severely damaged and so instead of creating miniatures he decided to recreate full sized or scaled down versions - thus preserving them for future generations.

Construction of the park began in1963 in Samut Prakan Province (South of Bangkok) with the assistance of experts from the National Museum. Of the 120 structures in the park, roughly one-third had been in danger of imminent destruction and were purchased, dismantled, transported and rebuilt at the site, one-third are meticulously recreated replicas (some in half-scale) and one-third are original designs based on traditional Thai cultural forms. Outstanding works include Sanphet Prasat Palace the former Grand Palace of Ayutthaya (destroyed in the Burmese invasion of 1767), Phimai Sanctuary in Nakhon Ratchasima Province, and the Khmer temple Preah Vihear (sometimes written as 'Phra Wihan') on the Thai-Cambodian border.

You enter the park at what would be the equivalent to the tip of the far southern peninsula on the Malaysian border, then as you move through the park, you move north through the country. Like a history book opening up before you, you can see numerous reproductions of palace halls, temples, and stupas and through them discover the splendor of the Siam Kingdom. You can also visit several authenticated communities with their inhabitants going about their normal daily chores such as those in the floating market and sample village life from all regions of the country.

The park is so big and full of detail that it will take several days to really see everything. You can drive your car through the park or if you prefer bicycles are available to rent. The less energetic may prefer to hire a golf cart or join a tour. Some people walk around the park but it is really too big and too hot to go on foot. There are plenty places to buy drinks and food inside the park.

Getting there

From central Bangkok take air-conditioned bus 511 to Samut Prakan Province (the last stop). Next, take one of the minibuses straight to Ancient Siam (bus No 36). Ancient Siam is located on the old Sukhumvit Road in Samut Prakan Province approximately 8kms from Samut Prakan Town.