Journal
The History of Ayutthaya, in Five Minutes
By The Mercury EditorsJune 6, 20265 min read
Knowing a little of the story before you arrive makes the temple ruins and city walls mean so much more. Ayutthaya was the capital of Siam for 417 years and was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991. Here's the short, verifiable version.
A capital that thrived on trade
Ayutthaya was founded in 1350 by King Ramathibodi I (U Thong) on an island ringed by three rivers. That position both defended the city and connected it to river trade, so it grew into an international commercial hub where Chinese, Japanese, Persian, Portuguese, Dutch and French merchants settled in riverside communities — traces of these foreign villages can still be seen from the water today.
The fall of 1767 and what remains
In 1767 the Burmese army sacked and burned the city, ending a capital that had flourished for over four centuries. What remains are the prangs, chedis and Buddha images that still stand as testament to its former grandeur. The Fine Arts Department restores and cares for these historic sites; many of the most beautiful sit along the rivers and are best seen from a boat — the same vantage that envoys and merchants once had as they arrived.
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