via Bangkok Post, 29 September 2022: The heritage sites of Pathum Thani, the province just north of Bangkok.
When Mon immigrants arrived in the Sam Khok district during the reign of King Narai the Great (1656–1688), they transformed it into a significant kiln site for the production of high-quality pottery and and refractory bricks in the central region. As a result, the town became a melting pot of Thai, Mon, Malay and Chinese people.
To conjure up images of those times, we ascended to a deck and were treated to a stunning view of the banks of the Chao Phraya, which are lined with classic wood houses designed in both Thai and Mon styles. According to a memo by French priest De Choisy, assistant to French diplomat Chevaliver de Chaumont, who travelled to Ayutthaya during the reign of King Narai the Great, we imagined the scenes when this riverside community served as a bustling market for wild products and the stopover for those travelling from Bangkok to Pathum Thani and Ayutthaya.
Source: Tracing history
