The best things to do in Ayutthaya
The focus is on the history, especially the temples and monasteries of the city’s World Heritage Site.
But there are lots of things to do in Ayutthaya beyond that, with some interesting museums and colourful local experiences.
With the fall of Sukhothai in the north of the country, Ayutthaya emerged in the middle of the 14th century as the new power in Thailand, taking control of its neighbours’ lands and bringing surrounding cities into its influence.
The new Ayutthaya Kingdom was considered the second capital of Thailand, following on from Sukhothai. But it also became an international city, attracting foreign traders from across the globe, growing to be possibly the largest city in the world in the 16th century.
Today, it’s this combination of power and international trade that defines the city’s heritage and is at the heart of the best things to do in Ayutthaya as a visitor.
A brief history of Ayutthaya
Ayutthaya was officially founded in 1351, although there were people already living in the area before then. As Sukhothai’s influence waned, Ayutthaya saw an opportunity to assert itself as a new power in the region and began to expand its territories and take over other urban centres adjacent to it. The Ayutthaya Kingdom, the second of Thailand’s capitals, was born.
The Kingdom of Ayutthaya didn’t control vast swathes of land, but it was able to grow as one of the wealthiest cities in Southeast Asia. One of the main reasons for this was that the city was locate on an island where three rivers met.
Aside from the strategic defence advantage of this location, its position put Ayutthaya at a critical juncture of international trade, because these rivers led to seas where ships could sail in from.
Ayutthaya grew in size and an ambitious campaign of construction saw great temples and monasteries built around the Royal Palace in the city centre. At the same time, traders came from across the world and began to form settlements along the riverbanks around the main island.
The Portuguese were the first to arrive, followed by other European powers like the Dutch and French, as well as traders from China, India, and the Middle East. Some experts believe that during this period, Ayutthaya would’ve had a population of more than a million people
By the beginning of the 18th century, the Thai rulers had become concerned about the impact of foreign religions, and the borders were closed to Westerners. However, trade with…
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