The Glorious Past of Thailand #i-TravelWorld
But it is Bangkok where most religious monuments can be found, and none is better known or, indeed, more spectacular than the Royal Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaeo (Temple of the Emerald Buddha) complex. Thailand’s long and colorful history has left it with a rich legacy of ancient temples and monuments as well as evidence that this was home to the world’s oldest known Bronze Age civilization. Archaelogical diggings in the northeastern village of Ban Chiang have revealed skeletons and tools that suggest that an advanced people lived here as long as 5,600 years ago. Interested visitors can visit the site. The ancient Thai capitals of Sukhotai and Ayunthaya both boast fabulous ruins from two golden periods in the country’s history, while cities like Pimai, Kamphang Phet, Buriram and Nakhon Ratchasima all have temples and monuments of bygone times. Influences from the great Khmer empire which flourished in the 12th century can be seen in many of these relics. In the north, the ...