Ayutthaya Historical Park in Ayutthaya

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Ayutthaya was the capital of Siam from 1351 until 1767. At its peak it was one of the largest trading cities in Asia. Today its ruins are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed in 1991 as the Historic City of Ayutthaya. The park covers about 289 hectares on and around an island in the middle of the modern town. This guide looks at the old city as a piece of planning and building: the rivers, the canals, the towers of brick and stone, and what happened to the city. It also explains tickets, hours and the best time to go.

A city on an island

Ayutthaya sits where three rivers meet: the Chao Phraya, the Pa Sak and the Lopburi. The builders cut a channel to close the loop, so the old city stands on an island. Water was the city's wall and its main road. A network of canals crossed the island, and boats carried people and goods from street to street. Large ships could sail up the Chao Phraya from the sea. This made Ayutthaya a strong trading port. Merchants from Japan, the Netherlands, Portugal and many nearby kingdoms lived in their own quarters outside the island. Many canals were later filled in to make roads, but the rivers still circle the old city today.

How the towers were built

Most ruins are made of red brick and laterite, a rough reddish stone. The buildings were once covered in white stucco, with carved and painted details. Two tower shapes stand out. The prang is a tall tower shaped like a corn cob, a style that came from older Khmer building. The chedi is a round, bell-shaped tower. Large complexes put a main tower in the centre with smaller towers, halls and galleries around it, often inside a square wall. You can still see how the brick was laid in rings and steps. Many statues lost their heads and much of the stucco is gone, so the bare brick is what most visitors see now.

Main landmarks

A few sites are worth planning a day around. Wat Phra Si Sanphet has three large bell-shaped chedis in a row, inside the grounds of the old royal palace. It is the most photographed view in the park. Wat Mahathat, close by, is known for a stone head wrapped in the roots of a tree. Wat Ratchaburana next door has a tall prang that you can still see from far away. Outside the island, on the west bank of the river, Wat Chaiwatthanaram has a central prang ringed by smaller towers. It is the classic place for sunset photos. Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon, to the southeast, has a large chedi and long rows of statues.

The end of the old capital

Ayutthaya was the capital for more than 400 years, until the old capital fell in 1767. Many buildings were later taken apart for their bricks, and the capital moved south, first to Thonburi and later to Bangkok. For a long time the ruins were left to the forest and the floods. Thailand's Fine Arts Department began repair work in 1969, and the area became a historical park in 1976. A modern town has grown up around the ruins, so you will see shops, homes and traffic right next to the old walls.

Tickets and planning

There is no single gate. Each major site has its own small ticket booth, and foreign visitors pay at each one. A combined pass that covers several main sites is often sold at the booths. Ask at the first site you visit. Most sites open in the morning, around 8 am, and close in the early evening. Some are lit up after dark, and you can see them from the road. Wear clothes that cover your shoulders and knees. Bring water and a hat, because there is little shade between the ruins. Go early in the morning or late in the afternoon to avoid the heat and the tour buses.

Ayutthaya Historical Park at a glance

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