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| Ancient kingdom of Ayutthaya, a former capital of Thailand from 1350 to 1767 |
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| Unlike other tourist centres, Ayutthaya's main attraction is not its beautiful scenery, but its calm atmosphere with the remains resulting from the destruction by the invading Burmese army in 1767. |
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| Ayutthaya has become synonymous with temple ruins and historical sites. |
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| Most visitors head over to Ayutthaya Historical Park located in the centre of the inner city for a comprehensive overview of its history and past glory. |
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| When surrounded by these ruins, it’s not difficult to imagine the grandeur that once was the kingdom of Ayutthaya. |
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| Ayutthaya was friendly towards foreign traders, including the Chinese, Vietnamese, Indians, Japanese and Persians,.... |
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| In foreign accounts, Ayutthaya was called Siam, but many sources say the people of Ayutthaya called themselves Tai, and their kingdom Krung Tai, 'Tai Kingdom'. |
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| The temples dotting the countryside, rivers and city of Ayutthaya reflect the rich history of Thailand’s ancient capital, once one of the largest municipalities in the world. |
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| Taking a small tour barge, circling the island’s royal moat, hopping in and out of the boat, we perused wats, chedis, ruins and relics, and remnants of a recent catastrophic flood, capturing life of the people now. |
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| The ruins of the historic city of Ayutthaya and "associated historic towns" in the Ayutthaya historical park have been listed by the UNESCO as World Heritage Sites. |
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| Once the capital of the Thai Empire, Ayutthaya was a truly impressive city; with three palaces and over 400 temples, located on an island threaded by canals, it attracted traders and diplomats from both Europe and Asia. |
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| The architecture of Ayutthaya is a fascinating mix of Khmer and early Sukhothai styles. Some cactus-shaped obelisks, called prangs, denote Khmer influence and look something like the famous towers of Angkor Wat. |
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| The more pointed stupas are ascribed to the Sukhothai influence. Ayutthaya is only located about 90 kilometers from Bangkok and can be visited on a daytrip |
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