Welcome to Chiang Mai, a city built on the roots of a traditional heritage that dig deep into the soil of time. It’s a city with a beautiful cultural personality of its own.
Built in 1296 by King Mengrai, Chiang Mai is Thailand’s second largest city with a district population of more than 1.5 million people. The word ‘chiang’ means ‘walled city’, and ‘mai’ means ‘new’ so it is the ‘new walled city’. It was erected in the fertile valley through which runs the River Ping. It was then capital of the Lan Na kingdom and, on several occasions has been overrun by the Burmese, and in 1776 Chiang Mai was actually abandoned for more than 20 years. In 1932 Chiang Mai
became a province of Siam, to be called Thailand in 1946. Situated 700 kilometres from the capital Bangkok, it sits in the northern mountainous region where the climate is cooler than the southern regions with the exception of themonths of March, April and May.
The Rainy season, which begins toward the end of May is part of the
Southwest Monsoon and continues until the middle of October.
The city boasts two first-class universities and education is compulsory for all.
Close by is Thailand’s highest mountain, Doi Inthanon (2,565metres) which is the last of the Himalayan range. To the south only 27 kilometres is Lamphun, the oldest city in Thailand, built more than 1,200 years ago. |
