Ancient wonders

A car travels down a long peaceful road with lush green paddy fields on each side that will soon be superseded by crops of cassava, corn and sugar cane during the off-season. This scene reminds us of Prince Damrong Rajanubhab’s 1904 journey to Phetchabun, when he discovered the ancient town of Si Thep which was recorded in a late Ayutthaya and early Rattanakosin document.

Next month, Si Thep is expected to be certified as a new World Heritage Site during the World Heritage Committee’s 45th extended session, which will take place in Riyadh in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Thailand has other three World Heritage Sites in the cultural category — Sukhothai Historical Park, Ayutthaya Historical Park, and Ban Chiang Archaeological Site in Udon Thani.

Si Thep Historical Park’s inclusion on the tentative list of Unesco World Heritage Sites in 2019 has strengthened the idea of…