This former capital of Siam was founded around 1350 and remained the capital until it fell into ruins after it was virtually raised to the ground following the invasion and 15-month siege by the Burmese army in 1767. All the valuable gold and precious items were taken away by the invading army, but a lot of the remaining materials were used in the construction of present-day Bangkok. What remains now hardly does justice to its former glory with its golden palaces and estates. It was one of the world’s greatest trading centres, trading a great deal with the Ming and Manchu dynasties of China, and merchants from all corners of the globe described it as the finest city they had ever seen. By the 1700s it even boasted 400 monasteries and had a population of 1,000,000 inhabitants, making it the largest city in the world.

All that remains today are the old stone palaces, mansions, monasteries and the characteristic prang or reliquary towers, which survived the fires. They are impressive, nonetheless, and it became a UNESCO world heritage site in 1991.

The magnificent splendour of Ayutthaya is only about 1½ to 2 hours north of Bangkok by train that takes you to within a 20-minute walk of the ruins. However, it does cover an extensive area so you should allow plenty of time for your visit. A good way to get around the site is by hiring a bike, which you can do locally. There are restaurants and stalls to purchase food and drink, as well as souvenir shops. There are, of course, also many tours operating from Bangkok.

More information at: https://exorientelux.pl/tajlandia/