Not To Be Missed “The Ancient City”

    As a Thai, I’ve been asked what is the place I am most proud of in Thailand. What one place I would recommend to all tourist to visit. My answer is The Ancient City.This is an extraordinary park in Samut Prakarn, just outside Bangkok, on the way to Pattaya. It is a 320 acre park shaped like Thailand with 116 exhibits. These exhibits are replicas of the most famous buildings to be found around the country. But do not think they are just toy models, some are actual size and built from sandstone boulders. A lot of time and thought was put into their creation. Both the setting and the replicas are a wonder in themselves.

   The park was started in the 1970’s and is still a work in progress. It was opened to the public in the 1980’s. Origionally the entrance to the park was free but since the nation took it over a small fee is required{300 baht}.

   The park is a great place for any first time visitor to get an idea of what Thailand has to offer. Having seen the park a visitor will know what they want to see and what can be seen at a later stage.

   The Ancient city, or Muang Boran, is a city of traditional Thai art and culture, gradually and painstakingly created over the last 3 decades as a bulwark against the rising tides of socio-cultural change in present-day Thai society. The creation of Muang Boran is founded upon the sincere belief that the east should never and can never be like the west: our past glories are firmly rooted within an ancient culture and traditions dating back thousands of years.The peaceful society of the past clearly confirms that the artistic expression of the people, in forms which were relevant to their way of life, should not be overlooked or regarded as insignificant. In particular, it is the younger generation who, during this age of cultural transformation, may be able to find appropriate ways to apply our traditions and customs to their everyday life, to their personal relationships, to their families and to society as a whole.

   Muang Boran was never meant to be a so- called amusement park or as a collection of models of the art and architecture of the past. On the contrary, it is an earnest attempt to demonstrate something profoundly abstract: to plumb the true essence and function of the arts through concrete artistic forms. lronically, this was due to the fact that while history was being created at Muang Boran, in ever region of Thailand many old temples, towns and cities that had once prospered were beginning to disappear. Traces of the past began to dwindle, eventually disappearing completely as a result of rapid changes undertaken in the name of social, economic and technological development.

   At first, visitors may get the impression that it is an open air museum or a tourist attraction or just a collection of replicas and archaeological sites. But the idea behind Muang Boran, or the Ancient city, was not merely to create a collection of unique historical and cultural symbols of each region for all to see; it was conceived as a never-ending process which requires time for constant improvement. The rationale behind these changes is based on the fundamental objective of creating the appropriate environment and complementary atmosphere for each and every historical and cultural symbol constructed. Each monument requires a specific type of atmosphere and environment.