Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Wiang Kum Kam was originally established by the Mon as a satellite town for the
Hariphunchai kingdom and its capital in Lamphun. It later was adopted by the Lanna king
Phaya Mengrai. Over 1300 inscribed stone slabs, bricks, bells and
chedi
have been excav-
ated at the site. The most important archaeological discovery has been a four-piece in-
scribed stone slab, now on display in the Chiang Mai National Museum. The early- 11th-
century inscriptions on this slab indicate that the Thai script predates King Ramkham-
haeng's famous Sukhothai inscription (introduced in 1293) by 100 or more years.
SOI BAN HAW
Chiang Mai straddled one of Asia's famous crossroads: the southern spur of the Silk Road. Dating from the 15th
century, Chinese-Muslim traders from Yunnan Province (China) drove their horse-drawn caravans south through
the mountains to the Indian Ocean to buy and sell goods through the international sea trade. To the Thais of Chi-
ang Mai, these caravans were a remarkable sight and the traders were nicknamed
jeen hor
(galloping Chinese), a
reference to their strange beasts of burden.
The caravans exported silk, opium, tea, dried fruit, lacquerware, musk, ponies and mules - a mix of luxury and
necessity goods. Imports included gold, copper, cotton, edible bird's nest, betel nut, tobacco and ivory. In the 19th
century, artisans from China, northern Myanmar and Laos settled in Chiang Mai to produce crafts for the steady
flow of regional trade.
Though the conveyances and the fashions have changed, some of these goods are still bought and sold along
these very same trade routes. The city's original transhipment point was a market district known as
Ban Haw
,
near the present night bazaar, which sells silk, cotton and plastic goods from China.
The 100-year-old
Matsayit Chiang Mai
(Soi 1, Th Charoen Khlan) , also known as Ban Haw Mosque, was
founded by
jeen hor
. Within the past two centuries, the city's Muslim community has also grown to include eth-
nic Yunnanese Muslims escaping unrest in Laos and Myanmar. Along the soi there are a number of simple res-
taurants and vendors selling Thai-Muslim-style food, including curries,
kôw soy
(curried chicken and noodles),
kôw mòk gài
(chicken biriani) and
néu·a òp hŏrm
('fragrant' dried beef).
South of the Old City
The southern part of the city is a mix of quaint antique houses and impersonal modern
spaces. Th Wualai is renowned for its
silver shops
and is often filled with the tapping sound
of a decorative pattern being imprinted onto a plate of silver (or, more often, aluminium).
One of the best ways to observe Th Wualai is to come for the Saturday Walking Street.
Saturday Walking Street
MARKET
