Thailand World Heritage List Update
Following on from the addition of Si Thep ancient city in 2023, UNESCO has recently seen fit to update the Thailand World Heritage List with the addition of one new site and confirmation of 5 cultural sites on the tentative list. Inclusion on the latter is no guarantee of ever receiving full World Heritage status but, it is a promising sign.
The addition of Phu Phrabat – an eclectic collection of historical and archaeological features in northeastern Thailand’s Udon Thani Province – takes the Thailand World Heritage List up to a total of eight, 5 cultural and 3 natural heritage sites. We have described the preexisting sites, individually, in earlier posts, (see Thailand UNESCO Sites), but here’s a recap.
Thailand World Heritage Cultural Sites
• Ayutthaya – the historic city and ancient capital
• Ban Chiang – the prehistoric settlement in Udon Thani Province
• Sukhothai – ancient city including the associated sites of Si Satchanalai and Kamphaeng Phet
• Si Thep – the 6th-10th-century Dvaravati site in central Thailand’s Phetchabun Province
Sukhothai Ancient City Thailand World Heritage Natural Sites
• Khao Yai – the Dong Phayayen/Khao Yai Forest Complex
• Kaeng Krachan Forest Complex – some 3,000 square kilometres of well-preserved forest in the Upper Peninsula
• Thung Yai/Huay Kha Khaeng – connecting wildlife sanctuaries in western Thailand
Phu Phrabat houses, as we mentioned, an eclectic collection of archaeological features including prehistoric rock shelters, what is said to be the region’s best and largest examples of Dvaravati sema stones as well as rock carvings and petroglyphs from various periods including the later Khmer, Angkorian era. You’re forgiven for not knowing what a Dvaravati sema stone is. Dvaravati is the name given to an early Mon culture which predates both the subsequent expansion of Angkorian influence from the late 10th to early 13th centuries, the extension of the Lao kingdom Lan Xang’s control over the area from the 14th century and later migrations of ethnic Tai groups. The aforementioned site of Si Thep is recognised as being the best-preserved Dvaravati site in what is today Thailand.
Sema stones, (sema is the generally accepted spelling however, UNESCO prefers sima), are sacred Buddhist marker stones used to delineate a consecrated area and indeed many of more recent date can be seen surrounding contemporary Buddhist wats in Thailand. Traditionally, eight would be placed at the cardinal and inter-cardinal points, although you occasionally see them in pairs (i.e. sixteen in total) that indicate the site was consecrated twice.
Prang Si Thep at Si Thep Ancient City Tentative List (Cultural Sites)
Haven’t covered this in a while, and UNESCO seem to have tweaked it slightly, so it’s worth going through a few more details.
• Chiang Mai. Has been on the list for a while now but while the ancient city’s historical credentials are not in doubt, it is difficult to combine UNESCO’s conservation and preservation criteria with Chiang Mai’s status as a busy, modern city. They’ll get there eventually but perhaps not any time soon.
• Phanom Rung, Muang Tam and Plai Bat Sanctuaries. This grouping of historic sites appears to have been extended to include the spectacular Angkor-period temple of Phimai. The four sites are separate, distinct and even date to slightly different periods so we’re uncertain as to why they would all be grouped together. For instance, there’s no single entry for French Gothic cathedrals, with St Denis, Chartres, Reims etc all being listed individually so why stick 200 years of ancient Khmer temples in a single entry?
• Phra That Phanom. A highly revered Buddhist monastery, located close to the banks of the Mekong River, in northeast Thailand’s Nakhon Phanom Province. The centrepiece, ancient stupa originally dates to the Khmer era and today forms part of an extensive, walled complex of shrines, courtyards and halls. The site is popular – and highly prestigious – for local visitors but is a remote location and rarely visited by foreign tourists. The architecture and decorative elements are impressive but Thailand does have a wealth of prestigious ancient temples.
• The next site on the tentative list, Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan, is a case in point. This ancient Buddhist complex in south Thailand’s Nakhon Si Thammarat includes a large, bell-shaped stupa in a Sri Lankan style considered to date to the late 13th century. Our somewhat cynical nature would say that UNESCO’s description of the site could almost be cut and pasted from the above and, as we said, almost every large town in Thailand would lay claim to at least one similar, ancient and highly prestigious Buddhist monument. We’re not suggesting they’re unworthy of listing but – going back to France’s plethora of Gothic cathedrals – if you list one….
• Songkhla and associated Lagoon Settlements. A new addition – in the far south of the country – is a complex site consisting of a collection of ancient settlements situated around the large inland body of water known as Songkhla Lake. (Thale Noi and its well-known bird sanctuary is a northern extension of this brackish inland sea.)
Sunrise over Thale Noi Inland Sea Tentative List (Natural Sites)
• The single – and newly added – entry in this category at the moment is the Andaman Sea Nature Reserve, a protected maritime area centred around the Similan and Surin National Parks but also extended to include mangrove swamps and coastal features along the west coast of Ranong and Pha Nga Provinces which, according to UNESCO, “combine to create a unique synergy of unparalleled beauty and natural history.”
