Ibrahim Jabbari
WHERE: Sukhothai, Thailand
Thailand (then Siam’s) first capital city, Sukhothai has an impressive spread of ruins–193 to be exact, spread throughout the historical park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The name Sukhothai, meaning ” dawn of happiness,” is fitting: after centuries of Khmer rule, two Thai princes took Sukhothai, defeating the Khmer. Sukothai was only the capital for around 140 years before Ayutthaya became the capital and Sukothai’s temples, stupas, and monuments were slowly consumed by nature. A massive late 20th-century restoration project created the Historical Park, which has five zones full of the ruins of temples and shrines.
