Place:Prachuap Khiri Khan, Thailand

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Prachuap Khiri Khan is one of the western provinces (changwat) of Thailand. It is in the northern part of the Malay Peninsula, some south of Bangkok. Neighboring provinces include Phetchaburi to the north and Chumphon to the south. To the west, it borders Tanintharyi Region of Myanmar.

History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

The city of Muang Na Rang was reconstructed after it had been abandoned during the fall of the Ayutthaya Kingdom in 1767. The town was rebuilt at the mouth of the Ron River and renamed "Prachuap Khiri Khan" in 1855, which means 'city in the mountains'.

King Mongkut gathered the people of three towns—Bang Nangrom, Kui Buri, and Khlong Wan—and resettled them in the rebuilt city. At the same time, he renamed a portion of what is now Trat province and Koh Kong province in Cambodia "Patchan Khiri Khet". The name was chosen to rhyme with "Prachuap Khiri Khan" on the opposite side of the Gulf of Thailand at the same latitude.

In 1868, King Mongkut invited foreign guests to Prachuap Khiri Khan to watch a solar eclipse he had predicted for 18 August. The dignitaries viewed it from an observation point in the marshes near Sam Roi Yot. He contracted malaria, of which he died on 1 October.

In the reign of King Rama II, a new city was established at the mouth of the I Rom Canal known as Muang Bang Nang Rom. Prachuap became a seaside resort during the reign of King Rama V. Besides tourism, the province is heavily agricultural. Coconuts are a major crop. As much as 40 percent of farmers in Prachuap Khiri Khan solely cultivate coconuts.

At the beginning of World War II, Japanese troops invaded Thailand. On 8 December 1941, they struck first near the city of Prachuap Khiri Khan. After resisting the Japanese in the Battle of Prachuap Khiri Khan, after several hours the defenders were ordered to cease fire by the government in Bangkok.

Archaeology

The discovery of 3,000 years old cave paintings was announced by archaeologists from the Fine Arts Office in a cave at the Khao Sam Roi Yod National Park in May 2020. Some of the depicted pictures are still visible and clear, while some paintings were damaged by limestone etching. According to archeologist Kannika Premjai, paintings describe humanlike figures with accessories on their bodies, hunting scenes with bow and arrow. Moreover, there is also an animal figure seems to be serow (a goat-like mammal found regionally) found among the drawings.

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