Images from the Art Institute of Ayutthaya.  

Images of Wat Phra Si Samphet, the most sacred of the Buddhist temples in the royal city of  Ayutthaya, originally established in the royal palace compound in the mid 14th century.

Images of the Hunsa Cafe in Ayutthaya where I stopped for my daily coffee.

Images of my hotel in Ayutthaya, the charming and inexpensive Old Palace Resort.

Images of the diminutive Pet Fortress in the royal city of Ayutthaya.

Images of St. Joseph’s in Ayutthaya, the seat of the French Catholic mission in Siam from the mid 17th to mid-18th century.

Built in 1630 in the Khmer style, Wat Chai Watthanaram is one of the most well known of Ayutthaya’s historic Buddhist temples.

Wat Lokayasutharam, site of the giant reclining Buddha of Thailand’s royal city of Ayutthaya.

Images of the remains of Wat Maha That, another one of the great Buddhist temples in the royal city of Ayutthaya in Thailand, dating back to the late 14th century.

Images of Wat Na Phramen in the royal Thai city of Ayutthaya, originally built in the early 16th century and heavily restored, set in an atmospheric enclave to the south of the central island on which most of the city’s temples are situated.  

Images of Wat Phanan Choeng, one of the oldest Buddhist temples in the royal city of Ayutthaya in Thailand, erected in the early 14th century, but also a Taoist temple to the legendary Chinese early Ming dynasty explorer Zheng He.

Images of Wat Phra Ram, one of the central Buddhist temples in the royal city of Ayutthaya, the construction of which began in 1369.

Images of Wat Phutthai Sawan, built at the inception of the royal city of Ayutthaya in the mid-14th century to celebrate victory over the Khmers.

Images of Wat Ratchaburana, built in 1424 by King Borom Ratchathirat II as memorial to his brothers (who charmingy died fighting each other for the vacant throne of Ayutthaya).

Images of the ruins of Wat Thammikarat in the royal city of Ayutthaya, Thailand.

Images of Wat Yai Chai Mongkhol, built in the mid-14th century for monks returning from Ceylon.