Mueang Boran

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ancient City is a park spreading over 200 acres in the shape of Thailand. Replicas of the country's most historically significant structures are accurately and meticulously recreated and placed to their corresponding geographic position in Thailand. Some are full-size but most are scaled down. Some buildings are even genuine, moved here for preservation. Other genuine buildings have been transported to recreate traditional scenes of Thai life, such as The market of Yesteryear, the Floating Market and the Northern Thai Hamlet. Another facet of Ancient City is the beautiful gardens, some of them portraying Thai legends with bronze horses flying over waterfalls and suchlike.

The Ancient City, or Muang Boran, is dubbed as the world's largest outdoor museum. Situated close to the Crocodile Farm in Samut Prakan province, the 80-hectare city features 109 scaled-down copies of Thailand's famous monuments and architectural attractions. The grounds of the Ancient City correspond roughly to the shape of the Kingdom, with each of the monuments lying at their correct places geographically. Some of the buildings are life-size replicas of existing or former sites, while others are one-third scale.

The replicas were constructed with the assistance of experts from the National Museum to ensure historical accuracy. Outstanding works include the former Grand Palace of Ayutthaya (destroyed in the Burmese invasion of 1767), Phimai Sanctuary in Nakhon Ratchasima, and Wat Khao Phra Viharn on the Cambodian border. Ancient City also has sculptures from the Thai epic story, the Ramakien, a display of the Royal Barge procession, and a model Thai village in which craftsmen produce ceramics, paper umbrellas and lacquer items.

Muang Boran is quite spacious and getting around the beautifully landscaped gardens may take a day. It's usually quiet and a good place to get away from the city for a while. It's also a convenient way to see many of the attractions of Thailand if you don't have the time to visit the actual sites themselves.

Muang Boran is located on the old Sukhumvit Highway, about 33 km east of central Bangkok. To get there, take air-conditioned bus number 11 to the terminus and then minibus number 36, which passes by the entrance to the site. Admission costs 50 baht for adults, 25 baht for children. Discounts are available for group tours.