10 August 2010

Tha Tian (Tian Pier) in Bangkok Travel


After you drink in the fascinating sights of The Temple of Emerald Buddha and Wat Pho, it is so pity without reaching Tha Tian. Because this place is so close to the two formers, just behind them about a few paces, it can be arrived very easily and conveniently. The old city style and the original local vendors can be seen here


The quarter was formerly the area of high ranking royal family’s palaces and temples. As it was close to the Grand Palace. The word Tha Tian is assumed of its origin from different beliefs. Some assumed that the name Tha Tian was derived from Hatian, the name of city which the Vietnamese who had migrated to live in the area since Thon Buri period came from, while the others believed that the name which literally means flattened pier was called because there was a big fire in the reign of king Rama IV that devastated the houses in the area to a flattened place, later, this quarter had been used for the construction of foreign court and royal residence for the foreigners in the early Rattanakosin period. Tha Tian was famous because it was the major pier. It used to be the gathering ground of all the foreign diplomats to meet before being processed into the Grand Palace. Nowadays Tha Tian is the wholesale marketplace of all the dried and preserved sea foods.