Ayuttaya

Ayutthaya or Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya was founded in 1350 by King U-Thong and was the capital of what was then known as Siam. Over the next 417 years it was ruled by 33 kings and repelled 23 Burmese invasions, before the Burmese finally succeeded in razing it to the ground. At its height, Ayutthaya was surrounded by a 12-kilometre-long wall which was five metres thick and six metres high and boasted 99 gates, brick and clay roads and canals to transport water into the city.

Ayutthaya was stunning and rivalled most European capitals of the time and portions of this grandiose past can be re-experienced through its ruins scattered throughout the province, It’s one of the major tourist attraction. The ruins of the old capital in the Ayutthaya historical park are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and have been so since December 1991. The province is also home to the Bang Pa-in summer palace complex.