Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Thai pottery during the Sukhothai and Ayuthaya periods - the pieces produced here
came to be called 'Sangkalok', a mispronunciation of Sawankhalok. Ceramics are
still made in the area and a local ceramic artist even continues to fire his pieces in
an underground wood-burning oven.
In addition to the centre below, several barely recognisable kiln sites can be
found along the road that runs north of Si Satchanalai.
SI SATCHANALAI CENTRE FOR STUDY & PRESERVATION OF
SANGKALOK KILNS
( admission 100B; 9am-4pm)
Located 5km northwest of the Si Satchanalai ruins,
this centre has large excavated kilns and many intact pottery samples. The exhibits
are interesting despite the lack of English labels.
Museum
Detour:
Sawanworanayok National Museum
In Sawankhalok town, near Wat Sawankhalam on the western river bank, this state-
sponsored
museum
( 0 5564 1571; 69 Th Phracharat, Sawankhalok; admission 50B;
9am-4pm)
houses an impressive collection of 12th- to 15th-century artefacts. The ground
floor focuses on the area's ceramic legacy, while the 2nd floor features several beautiful
bronze and stone Sukhothai-era Buddha statues.
KAMPHAENG PHET PROVINCE
Kamphaeng Phet
POP 30,000
Located halfway between Bangkok and Chiang Mai, Kamphaeng Phet literally
means 'Diamond Wall', a reference to the apparent strength of this formerly walled
city's protective barrier. This level of security was necessary, as the city previously
helped to protect the Sukhothai and later Ayuthaya kingdoms against attacks from
