Si Satchanalai Historical Park

Si Satchanalai Historical Park is the location of an ancient city of Thailand's Sukhothai period (1235 to 1438), part of UNESCO's World Heritage System of sites of historical and cultural significance in Thailand that also includes Sukhothai National Historical Park.  The park is located approximately 55 kilometers north of the modern City of Sukhothai and does not receive a lot of visitors due to its remote location. 

Si Satchanalai, which translates to "The City of Good People, was quite a large city at over 4,500 square acres with a walled in area of approximately 275 acres. There are bikes for rent at the entrance to the park which I recommend getting due to the size of the park. The rental fee is 30 baht and the entrance fee is 100 baht for foreigners and 20 baht for locals with an extra 10 fee for the bike.

The city of Si Satchanalai was important to the Kingdom of Sukhothai as it housed the crown prince throughout the 13th and 14th century. 

The walled in portion of the park is bordered on the east by the Yom River and contains the more significant restored ruins of the period.  The wall acted to protect the city inhabitants from the Burmese whom they were at war with during that period.  The restored ruins include mainly include the wall structures and quite a few large ancient temples.  The main temples within the walled area include Wat Chang Lom, Wat Nang Phaya, Wat Chedi Chet Thaeo, and Wat Khao Suwankhiri with Wat Chang Lom being the most historically significant. 

As I rode from one restored temple to another, I imagined how life must have been for the city inhabitants within the wall, with large wooden houses with thatched roofs made of materials that didn't survive the passage of time.   Smoke filled air from cooking fires for the large meals made for the ancient city folks.  There were many dirt paths from one structure to the other.  Cities of this size must have had a large support system of farms surrounding the city to feed a growing population inside the walls.  In turn the farmers were provided security from a functional military from the Burmese and Kilmer raiders that came and went.  ​