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Asia's smallest and least-known nation, the Republic of Maldives, lies scattered from north to south across a 750-kilometre sweep of the Indian Ocean 500 kilometres south-west of Sri Lanka. More than 1000 islands, together with innumerable banks and reefs, are grouped in a chain of nineteen atolls which extends from a point due west of Colombo to just south of the equator.<br/><br/> The atolls, formed of great rings of coral based on the submarine Laccadive-Chagos ridge, vary greatly in size. Some are only a few kilometres square, but in the far south the great atoll of Suvadiva is sixty-five kilometres across, and has a central lagoon of more than 2000 square kilometres. The northern and central atolls are separated from each other by comparatively narrow channels of deep water, but in the south Suvadiva is cut off by the eighty-kilometre-wide One-and-a-half-Degree Channel. Addu Atoll is still more isolated, being separated from the atoll of Suvadiva by the seventy-kilometre-wide Equatorial Channel.
The Hittites were an ancient Anatolian people who established an empire centred on Hattusa in north-central Anatolia around 1600 BCE. This empire reached its height during the mid-14th century BC under Suppiluliuma I, when it encompassed an area that included most of Asia Minor as well as parts of the northern Levant and Upper Mesopotamia.<br/><br/> After c. 1180 BCE, the empire came to an end during the Bronze Age collapse, splintering into several independent city-states, some of which survived until the 8th century BCE.
Thaana, Taana or Tāna is the present writing system of the Maldivian language spoken in the Maldives. Thaana has characteristics of both an abugida (diacritic, vowel-killer strokes) and a true alphabet (all vowels are written), with consonants derived from indigenous and Arabic numerals, and vowels derived from the vowel diacritics of the Arabic abjad. Its orthography is largely phonemic.<br/><br/> Asia's smallest and least-known nation, the Republic of Maldives, lies scattered from north to south across a 750-kilometre sweep of the Indian Ocean 500 kilometres south-west of Sri Lanka. More than 1000 islands, together with innumerable banks and reefs, are grouped in a chain of nineteen atolls which extends from a point due west of Colombo to just south of the equator.
Beetle-fighting and betting thereon, is a traditional pastime among the Northern Thai, sections of the Shan in neighbouring Burma, and the Lao Tai of northern Laos. During the rainy season – between approximately July and October – when the rice is maturing in the paddies and farmers have some free time before the cool season harvest begins, the spectacular tua kuang, or rhinoceros beetles of the region begin their mating season in the forests and jungles of the northern borderlands.<br/><br/> There are at least five separate types of kuang living in north Thailand. As a group, they are distinguished by the male of the species, which sports a giant, armoured carapace surmounted by horn-like pincers, giving the creatures their common English name 'rhinoceros beetle'. By contrast, the female beetle seems an ordinary, even plain creature – though evidently, and reasonably enough, not to the male. During the mating season, deep in their natural habitat of bamboo groves or sugar cane clumps, the female emits a scent which stimulates the male and helps him find her.
Beetle-fighting and betting thereon, is a traditional pastime among the Northern Thai, sections of the Shan in neighbouring Burma, and the Lao Tai of northern Laos. During the rainy season – between approximately July and October – when the rice is maturing in the paddies and farmers have some free time before the cool season harvest begins, the spectacular tua kuang, or rhinoceros beetles of the region begin their mating season in the forests and jungles of the northern borderlands.<br/><br/> There are at least five separate types of kuang living in north Thailand. As a group, they are distinguished by the male of the species, which sports a giant, armoured carapace surmounted by horn-like pincers, giving the creatures their common English name 'rhinoceros beetle'. By contrast, the female beetle seems an ordinary, even plain creature – though evidently, and reasonably enough, not to the male. During the mating season, deep in their natural habitat of bamboo groves or sugar cane clumps, the female emits a scent which stimulates the male and helps him find her.
Wiang Tha Khan, located 16km south of Chiang Mai in rural Sanpatong District, is a small and prosperous Northern Thai village set amid Lamyai plantations and inhabited by Tai Yong resettled from nearby Shan State in Burma at the beginning of the 19th century. As long ago as the 10th century CE it was a fortified city or ‘wiang’ serving as an outlying bastion of the Mon Kingdom of Haripunchai, today’s Lamphun. Today the remains of the city walls and surrounding moat survive amid the Lamyai plantations and rice fields, as well as the remains of 11 separate temples founded during the Mon Period (c. 9th-12th centuries CE), but dating in their present form from the Tai Kingdom of Lan Na (12th -16th centuries CE).<br/><br/> The most important site includes Wat Klang Muang, located in the centre of the village, with a small museum. Other more important temples include Wat Ubosot, Wat Ton Kok and Ku Mai Daeng. The entire complex was surveyed and restored by the Thai Fine Arts Department in the 1980s, and a record of their finding was published (in Thai) in 1991.<br/><br/> Wiang Tha Kan may be seen as a similar Mon outpost to nearby Wiang Kum Kam, located about 6km south of Chiang Mai on the Lamphun Road, a similarly fortified settlement guarding the Mon capital at Haripunchai. Two other fortified Mon settlements remain to be excavated.
Wiang Tha Khan, located 16km south of Chiang Mai in rural Sanpatong District, is a small and prosperous Northern Thai village set amid Lamyai plantations and inhabited by Tai Yong resettled from nearby Shan State in Burma at the beginning of the 19th century. As long ago as the 10th century CE it was a fortified city or ‘wiang’ serving as an outlying bastion of the Mon Kingdom of Haripunchai, today’s Lamphun. Today the remains of the city walls and surrounding moat survive amid the Lamyai plantations and rice fields, as well as the remains of 11 separate temples founded during the Mon Period (c. 9th-12th centuries CE), but dating in their present form from the Tai Kingdom of Lan Na (12th -16th centuries CE).<br/><br/> The most important site includes Wat Klang Muang, located in the centre of the village, with a small museum. Other more important temples include Wat Ubosot, Wat Ton Kok and Ku Mai Daeng. The entire complex was surveyed and restored by the Thai Fine Arts Department in the 1980s, and a record of their finding was published (in Thai) in 1991.<br/><br/> Wiang Tha Kan may be seen as a similar Mon outpost to nearby Wiang Kum Kam, located about 6km south of Chiang Mai on the Lamphun Road, a similarly fortified settlement guarding the Mon capital at Haripunchai. Two other fortified Mon settlements remain to be excavated.
Wiang Tha Khan, located 16km south of Chiang Mai in rural Sanpatong District, is a small and prosperous Northern Thai village set amid Lamyai plantations and inhabited by Tai Yong resettled from nearby Shan State in Burma at the beginning of the 19th century. As long ago as the 10th century CE it was a fortified city or ‘wiang’ serving as an outlying bastion of the Mon Kingdom of Haripunchai, today’s Lamphun. Today the remains of the city walls and surrounding moat survive amid the Lamyai plantations and rice fields, as well as the remains of 11 separate temples founded during the Mon Period (c. 9th-12th centuries CE), but dating in their present form from the Tai Kingdom of Lan Na (12th -16th centuries CE).<br/><br/> The most important site includes Wat Klang Muang, located in the centre of the village, with a small museum. Other more important temples include Wat Ubosot, Wat Ton Kok and Ku Mai Daeng. The entire complex was surveyed and restored by the Thai Fine Arts Department in the 1980s, and a record of their finding was published (in Thai) in 1991.<br/><br/> Wiang Tha Kan may be seen as a similar Mon outpost to nearby Wiang Kum Kam, located about 6km south of Chiang Mai on the Lamphun Road, a similarly fortified settlement guarding the Mon capital at Haripunchai. Two other fortified Mon settlements remain to be excavated.
Wiang Tha Khan, located 16km south of Chiang Mai in rural Sanpatong District, is a small and prosperous Northern Thai village set amid Lamyai plantations and inhabited by Tai Yong resettled from nearby Shan State in Burma at the beginning of the 19th century. As long ago as the 10th century CE it was a fortified city or ‘wiang’ serving as an outlying bastion of the Mon Kingdom of Haripunchai, today’s Lamphun. Today the remains of the city walls and surrounding moat survive amid the Lamyai plantations and rice fields, as well as the remains of 11 separate temples founded during the Mon Period (c. 9th-12th centuries CE), but dating in their present form from the Tai Kingdom of Lan Na (12th -16th centuries CE).<br/><br/> The most important site includes Wat Klang Muang, located in the centre of the village, with a small museum. Other more important temples include Wat Ubosot, Wat Ton Kok and Ku Mai Daeng. The entire complex was surveyed and restored by the Thai Fine Arts Department in the 1980s, and a record of their finding was published (in Thai) in 1991.<br/><br/> Wiang Tha Kan may be seen as a similar Mon outpost to nearby Wiang Kum Kam, located about 6km south of Chiang Mai on the Lamphun Road, a similarly fortified settlement guarding the Mon capital at Haripunchai. Two other fortified Mon settlements remain to be excavated.
Somdet Phra Naresuan Maharat, or Somdet Phra Sanphet II (1555 - 1605) was King of the Ayutthaya Kingdom from 1590 until his death in 1605. Naresuan was one of Siam's most revered monarchs as he was known for his campaigns to free Siam from Burmese rule. During his reign numerous wars were fought against Burma, and Siam reached its greatest territorial extent and influence.
The 14th Dalai Lama (Religious name: Tenzin Gyatso, shortened from Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso, born Lhamo Dondrub, 6 July 1935) is the 14th and current Dalai Lama. Dalai Lamas are the most influential figure in the Gelugpa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, although the 14th has consolidated control over the other lineages in recent years.<br/><br/> He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, and is also well known for his lifelong advocacy for Tibetans inside and outside Tibet. Tibetans traditionally believe him to be the reincarnation of his predecessors and a manifestation of the Buddha of Compassion. The Dalai Lama was born in Taktser, Qinghai and was selected as the rebirth of the 13th Dalai Lama two years later, although he was only formally recognized as the 14th on 17 November 1950, at the age of 15.<br/><br/> He inherited control over a government controlling an area roughly corresponding to the Tibet Autonomous Region just as the nascent People's Republic of China wished to reassert central control over it. During the 1959 Tibetan uprising, which China regards as an uprising of feudal landlords, the Dalai Lama who regards the uprising as an expression of widespread discontent, fled to India, where he denounced the People's Republic and established a government in exile.<br/><br/> A charismatic speaker, he has since traveled the world, advocating for the welfare of Tibetans, teaching Tibetan Buddhism and talking about the importance of compassion for a happy life.
Wat Chalong in Phuket's Chalong District is delicated to two highly venerable monks, Luang Pho Chaem and Luang Pho Chuang, who were famous for their work in herbal medicine and tending to the ill. During the Phuket tin miners’ rebellion of 1876, they mobilized aid for the injured on both sides. They also mediated in the rebellion, bringing the warring parties together to resolve their dispute. Statues honouring them stand in the sermon hall (viharn) of Wat Chalong.
The Pyu city states were a group of city-states that existed from c. 2nd century BCE to c. mid-11th century CE in present-day Upper Burma (Myanmar). The city-states were founded as part of the southward migration by the Tibeto-Burman-speaking Pyu, the earliest inhabitants of Burma of whom records are extant. The thousand-year period, often referred to as the Pyu millennium, linked the Bronze Age to the beginning of the classical states period when the Pagan Kingdom emerged in the late 9th century.<br/><br/> The city-states—five major walled cities and several smaller towns have been excavated—were all located in the three main irrigated regions of Upper Burma: the Mu valley, the Kyaukse plains and Minbu region, around the confluence of the Irrawaddy and Chindwin rivers. Part of an overland trade route between China and India, the Pyu realm gradually expanded south.<br/><br/> Halin, founded in the 1st century CE at the northern edge of Upper Burma, was the largest and most important city until around the 7th or 8th century when it was superseded by Sri Ksetra (near modern Pyay) at the southern edge. Twice as large as Halin, Sri Ksetra was the largest and most influential Pyu center.<br/><br/> Pyu culture was heavily influenced by trade with India, importing Buddhism as well as other cultural, architectural and political concepts, which would have an enduring influence on later Burmese culture and political organization. The Pyu calendar, based on the Buddhist calendar, later became the Burmese calendar. Latest scholarship, though yet not settled, suggests that the Pyu script, based on the Indian Brahmi script, may have been the source of the Burmese script.
Ta'wiz or Tawiz are lockets usually containing verses from the Quran or other Islamic prayers and symbols. As a general rule it is worn with the belief that it will repel any evil intended for the wearer and will also bring him luck. As such it is intended to be an amulet. The word Ta'wiz is also used to refer to other amulets used in Islam. Hanging or wearing of amulets (Ta'wiz) is normally permissible for protection or healing provided certain conditions are met:<br/><br/> 1. That they consist of the Names and of Allah and His Attributes<br/><br/> 2. That they are in Arabic<br/><br/> 3. That they do not consist of anything that is disbelief (Kufr)<br/><br/> 4. The user does not believe the words have any affect in themselves, but are empowered by Allah, the Most High<br/><br/> Most Ta'wiz are made up of a small paper containing the prayers which is repeatedly folded and sewn inside a tiny cloth pouch, black in colour. A black thread is used to wear it as a locket. Wearing a Ta'wiz is popular in India and Pakistan. Many Muslims object to Ta'wiz as they believe that wearing a Ta'wiz is shirk (idolatry, polytheism) according to the hadith of Muhammad.
The Pyu city states were a group of city-states that existed from c. 2nd century BCE to c. mid-11th century CE in present-day Upper Burma (Myanmar). The city-states were founded as part of the southward migration by the Tibeto-Burman-speaking Pyu, the earliest inhabitants of Burma of whom records are extant. The thousand-year period, often referred to as the Pyu millennium, linked the Bronze Age to the beginning of the classical states period when the Pagan Kingdom emerged in the late 9th century.<br/><br/> The city-states—five major walled cities and several smaller towns have been excavated—were all located in the three main irrigated regions of Upper Burma: the Mu valley, the Kyaukse plains and Minbu region, around the confluence of the Irrawaddy and Chindwin rivers. Part of an overland trade route between China and India, the Pyu realm gradually expanded south.<br/><br/> Halin, founded in the 1st century CE at the northern edge of Upper Burma, was the largest and most important city until around the 7th or 8th century when it was superseded by Sri Ksetra (near modern Pyay) at the southern edge. Twice as large as Halin, Sri Ksetra was the largest and most influential Pyu center.<br/><br/> Pyu culture was heavily influenced by trade with India, importing Buddhism as well as other cultural, architectural and political concepts, which would have an enduring influence on later Burmese culture and political organization. The Pyu calendar, based on the Buddhist calendar, later became the Burmese calendar. Latest scholarship, though yet not settled, suggests that the Pyu script, based on the Indian Brahmi script, may have been the source of the Burmese script.
The Dvaravati (Thai: ทวารวดี, RTGS: Thawarawadi) period lasted from the 6th to the 13th centuries. Dvaravati refers to both a culture and a disparate conglomerate of principalities spanning the Chaophraya Basin and parts of Northeast Thailand.
Wiang Tha Khan, located 16km south of Chiang Mai in rural Sanpatong District, is a small and prosperous Northern Thai village set amid Lamyai plantations and inhabited by Tai Yong resettled from nearby Shan State in Burma at the beginning of the 19th century. As long ago as the 10th century CE it was a fortified city or ‘wiang’ serving as an outlying bastion of the Mon Kingdom of Haripunchai, today’s Lamphun. Today the remains of the city walls and surrounding moat survive amid the Lamyai plantations and rice fields, as well as the remains of 11 separate temples founded during the Mon Period (c. 9th-12th centuries CE), but dating in their present form from the Tai Kingdom of Lan Na (12th -16th centuries CE).<br/><br/> The most important site includes Wat Klang Muang, located in the centre of the village, with a small museum. Other more important temples include Wat Ubosot, Wat Ton Kok and Ku Mai Daeng. The entire complex was surveyed and restored by the Thai Fine Arts Department in the 1980s, and a record of their finding was published (in Thai) in 1991.<br/><br/> Wiang Tha Kan may be seen as a similar Mon outpost to nearby Wiang Kum Kam, located about 6km south of Chiang Mai on the Lamphun Road, a similarly fortified settlement guarding the Mon capital at Haripunchai. Two other fortified Mon settlements remain to be excavated.
The religious paraphernalia market within the grounds of Wat Ratchanatda sells Buddha images and Buddhist charms in all shapes and sizes as well as a variety of Indian Hindu deities and Chinese religious items.<br/><br/> Wat Ratchanaddaram was built on the orders of King Nangklao (Rama III) for Mom Chao Ying Sommanus Wattanavadi in 1846. The temple is best known for the Loha Prasada (Loha Prasat), a multi-tiered structure 36 m high and having 37 metal spires. It is only the third Loha Prasada (Brazen Palace or Iron Monastery) to be built and is modelled after the earlier ones in India and Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.
The religious paraphernalia market within the grounds of Wat Ratchanatda sells Buddha images and Buddhist charms in all shapes and sizes as well as a variety of Indian Hindu deities and Chinese religious items.<br/><br/> Wat Ratchanaddaram was built on the orders of King Nangklao (Rama III) for Mom Chao Ying Sommanus Wattanavadi in 1846. The temple is best known for the Loha Prasada (Loha Prasat), a multi-tiered structure 36 m high and having 37 metal spires. It is only the third Loha Prasada (Brazen Palace or Iron Monastery) to be built and is modelled after the earlier ones in India and Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.
Khon is a Thai classical dance drama often incorporating characters from the Ramakien, Thailand's own interpretation of the Indian classic Ramayana.<br/><br/> The religious paraphernalia market within the grounds of Wat Ratchanatda sells Buddha images and Buddhist charms in all shapes and sizes as well as a variety of Indian Hindu deities and Chinese religious items.<br/><br/> Wat Ratchanaddaram was built on the orders of King Nangklao (Rama III) for Mom Chao Ying Sommanus Wattanavadi in 1846. The temple is best known for the Loha Prasada (Loha Prasat), a multi-tiered structure 36 m high and having 37 metal spires. It is only the third Loha Prasada (Brazen Palace or Iron Monastery) to be built and is modelled after the earlier ones in India and Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.
Khon is a Thai classical dance drama often incorporating characters from the Ramakien, Thailand's own interpretation of the Indian classic Ramayana.<br/><br/> The religious paraphernalia market within the grounds of Wat Ratchanatda sells Buddha images and Buddhist charms in all shapes and sizes as well as a variety of Indian Hindu deities and Chinese religious items.<br/><br/> Wat Ratchanaddaram was built on the orders of King Nangklao (Rama III) for Mom Chao Ying Sommanus Wattanavadi in 1846. The temple is best known for the Loha Prasada (Loha Prasat), a multi-tiered structure 36 m high and having 37 metal spires. It is only the third Loha Prasada (Brazen Palace or Iron Monastery) to be built and is modelled after the earlier ones in India and Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.
Khon is a Thai classical dance drama often incorporating characters from the Ramakien, Thailand's own interpretation of the Indian classic Ramayana.<br/><br/> The religious paraphernalia market within the grounds of Wat Ratchanatda sells Buddha images and Buddhist charms in all shapes and sizes as well as a variety of Indian Hindu deities and Chinese religious items.<br/><br/> Wat Ratchanaddaram was built on the orders of King Nangklao (Rama III) for Mom Chao Ying Sommanus Wattanavadi in 1846. The temple is best known for the Loha Prasada (Loha Prasat), a multi-tiered structure 36 m high and having 37 metal spires. It is only the third Loha Prasada (Brazen Palace or Iron Monastery) to be built and is modelled after the earlier ones in India and Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.
Khon is a Thai classical dance drama often incorporating characters from the Ramakien, Thailand's own interpretation of the Indian classic Ramayana.<br/><br/> The religious paraphernalia market within the grounds of Wat Ratchanatda sells Buddha images and Buddhist charms in all shapes and sizes as well as a variety of Indian Hindu deities and Chinese religious items.<br/><br/> Wat Ratchanaddaram was built on the orders of King Nangklao (Rama III) for Mom Chao Ying Sommanus Wattanavadi in 1846. The temple is best known for the Loha Prasada (Loha Prasat), a multi-tiered structure 36 m high and having 37 metal spires. It is only the third Loha Prasada (Brazen Palace or Iron Monastery) to be built and is modelled after the earlier ones in India and Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.
The religious paraphernalia market within the grounds of Wat Ratchanatda sells Buddha images and Buddhist charms in all shapes and sizes as well as a variety of Indian Hindu deities and Chinese religious items.<br/><br/> Wat Ratchanaddaram was built on the orders of King Nangklao (Rama III) for Mom Chao Ying Sommanus Wattanavadi in 1846. The temple is best known for the Loha Prasada (Loha Prasat), a multi-tiered structure 36 m high and having 37 metal spires. It is only the third Loha Prasada (Brazen Palace or Iron Monastery) to be built and is modelled after the earlier ones in India and Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.
Khon is a Thai classical dance drama often incorporating characters from the Ramakien, Thailand's own interpretation of the Indian classic Ramayana.<br/><br/> The religious paraphernalia market within the grounds of Wat Ratchanatda sells Buddha images and Buddhist charms in all shapes and sizes as well as a variety of Indian Hindu deities and Chinese religious items.<br/><br/> Wat Ratchanaddaram was built on the orders of King Nangklao (Rama III) for Mom Chao Ying Sommanus Wattanavadi in 1846. The temple is best known for the Loha Prasada (Loha Prasat), a multi-tiered structure 36 m high and having 37 metal spires. It is only the third Loha Prasada (Brazen Palace or Iron Monastery) to be built and is modelled after the earlier ones in India and Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.
Khon is a Thai classical dance drama often incorporating characters from the Ramakien, Thailand's own interpretation of the Indian classic Ramayana.<br/><br/> The religious paraphernalia market within the grounds of Wat Ratchanatda sells Buddha images and Buddhist charms in all shapes and sizes as well as a variety of Indian Hindu deities and Chinese religious items.<br/><br/> Wat Ratchanaddaram was built on the orders of King Nangklao (Rama III) for Mom Chao Ying Sommanus Wattanavadi in 1846. The temple is best known for the Loha Prasada (Loha Prasat), a multi-tiered structure 36 m high and having 37 metal spires. It is only the third Loha Prasada (Brazen Palace or Iron Monastery) to be built and is modelled after the earlier ones in India and Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.
The religious paraphernalia market within the grounds of Wat Ratchanatda sells Buddha images and Buddhist charms in all shapes and sizes as well as a variety of Indian Hindu deities and Chinese religious items.<br/><br/> Wat Ratchanaddaram was built on the orders of King Nangklao (Rama III) for Mom Chao Ying Sommanus Wattanavadi in 1846. The temple is best known for the Loha Prasada (Loha Prasat), a multi-tiered structure 36 m high and having 37 metal spires. It is only the third Loha Prasada (Brazen Palace or Iron Monastery) to be built and is modelled after the earlier ones in India and Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.
The religious paraphernalia market within the grounds of Wat Ratchanatda sells Buddha images and Buddhist charms in all shapes and sizes as well as a variety of Indian Hindu deities and Chinese religious items.<br/><br/> Wat Ratchanaddaram was built on the orders of King Nangklao (Rama III) for Mom Chao Ying Sommanus Wattanavadi in 1846. The temple is best known for the Loha Prasada (Loha Prasat), a multi-tiered structure 36 m high and having 37 metal spires. It is only the third Loha Prasada (Brazen Palace or Iron Monastery) to be built and is modelled after the earlier ones in India and Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.
Wat Ratchanaddaram was built on the orders of King Nangklao (Rama III) for Mom Chao Ying Sommanus Wattanavadi in 1846. The temple is best known for the Loha Prasada (Loha Prasat), a multi-tiered structure 36 m high and having 37 metal spires. It is only the third Loha Prasada (Brazen Palace or Iron Monastery) to be built and is modelled after the earlier ones in India and Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.
The Amulet Market next to Wat Mahathat in Bangkok is one of the city's best known places to buy Buddhist amulets and lucky charms. Vendors line the street with miniature Buddhas, astrological icons, pendants, phalluses, ivory, gems and other assorted paraphernalia for the religious, the superstitious and the curious.<br/><br/> Thailand's amulet trade is a lively one, and prices for particularly powerful amulets can run into millions of Baht.
The Amulet Market next to Wat Mahathat in Bangkok is one of the city's best known places to buy Buddhist amulets and lucky charms. Vendors line the street with miniature Buddhas, astrological icons, pendants, phalluses, ivory, gems and other assorted paraphernalia for the religious, the superstitious and the curious.<br/><br/> Thailand's amulet trade is a lively one, and prices for particularly powerful amulets can run into millions of Baht.
The Amulet Market next to Wat Mahathat in Bangkok is one of the city's best known places to buy Buddhist amulets and lucky charms. Vendors line the street with miniature Buddhas, astrological icons, pendants, phalluses, ivory, gems and other assorted paraphernalia for the religious, the superstitious and the curious.<br/><br/> Thailand's amulet trade is a lively one, and prices for particularly powerful amulets can run into millions of Baht.
The Amulet Market next to Wat Mahathat in Bangkok is one of the city's best known places to buy Buddhist amulets and lucky charms. Vendors line the street with miniature Buddhas, astrological icons, pendants, phalluses, ivory, gems and other assorted paraphernalia for the religious, the superstitious and the curious.<br/><br/> Thailand's amulet trade is a lively one, and prices for particularly powerful amulets can run into millions of Baht.
The Amulet Market next to Wat Mahathat in Bangkok is one of the city's best known places to buy Buddhist amulets and lucky charms. Vendors line the street with miniature Buddhas, astrological icons, pendants, phalluses, ivory, gems and other assorted paraphernalia for the religious, the superstitious and the curious.<br/><br/> Thailand's amulet trade is a lively one, and prices for particularly powerful amulets can run into millions of Baht.
The Amulet Market next to Wat Mahathat in Bangkok is one of the city's best known places to buy Buddhist amulets and lucky charms. Vendors line the street with miniature Buddhas, astrological icons, pendants, phalluses, ivory, gems and other assorted paraphernalia for the religious, the superstitious and the curious.<br/><br/> Thailand's amulet trade is a lively one, and prices for particularly powerful amulets can run into millions of Baht.
The Amulet Market next to Wat Mahathat in Bangkok is one of the city's best known places to buy Buddhist amulets and lucky charms. Vendors line the street with miniature Buddhas, astrological icons, pendants, phalluses, ivory, gems and other assorted paraphernalia for the religious, the superstitious and the curious.<br/><br/> Thailand's amulet trade is a lively one, and prices for particularly powerful amulets can run into millions of Baht.
The Amulet Market next to Wat Mahathat in Bangkok is one of the city's best known places to buy Buddhist amulets and lucky charms. Vendors line the street with miniature Buddhas, astrological icons, pendants, phalluses, ivory, gems and other assorted paraphernalia for the religious, the superstitious and the curious.<br/><br/> Thailand's amulet trade is a lively one, and prices for particularly powerful amulets can run into millions of Baht.
The Amulet Market next to Wat Mahathat in Bangkok is one of the city's best known places to buy Buddhist amulets and lucky charms. Vendors line the street with miniature Buddhas, astrological icons, pendants, phalluses, ivory, gems and other assorted paraphernalia for the religious, the superstitious and the curious.<br/><br/> Thailand's amulet trade is a lively one, and prices for particularly powerful amulets can run into millions of Baht.
The Amulet Market next to Wat Mahathat in Bangkok is one of the city's best known places to buy Buddhist amulets and lucky charms. Vendors line the street with miniature Buddhas, astrological icons, pendants, phalluses, ivory, gems and other assorted paraphernalia for the religious, the superstitious and the curious.<br/><br/> Thailand's amulet trade is a lively one, and prices for particularly powerful amulets can run into millions of Baht.
The Amulet Market next to Wat Mahathat in Bangkok is one of the city's best known places to buy Buddhist amulets and lucky charms. Vendors line the street with miniature Buddhas, astrological icons, pendants, phalluses, ivory, gems and other assorted paraphernalia for the religious, the superstitious and the curious.<br/><br/> Thailand's amulet trade is a lively one, and prices for particularly powerful amulets can run into millions of Baht.
The Amulet Market next to Wat Mahathat in Bangkok is one of the city's best known places to buy Buddhist amulets and lucky charms. Vendors line the street with miniature Buddhas, astrological icons, pendants, phalluses, ivory, gems and other assorted paraphernalia for the religious, the superstitious and the curious.<br/><br/> Thailand's amulet trade is a lively one, and prices for particularly powerful amulets can run into millions of Baht.
The Amulet Market next to Wat Mahathat in Bangkok is one of the city's best known places to buy Buddhist amulets and lucky charms. Vendors line the street with miniature Buddhas, astrological icons, pendants, phalluses, ivory, gems and other assorted paraphernalia for the religious, the superstitious and the curious.<br/><br/> Thailand's amulet trade is a lively one, and prices for particularly powerful amulets can run into millions of Baht.
Taksin (Somdet Phra Chao Taksin Maharat; Thai: สมเด็จพระเจ้าตากสินมหาราช; Chinese: 鄭昭; pinyin: Zhèng Zhāo; Teochew: Dênchao; Vietnamese: Trịnh Quốc Anh) ; (April 17, 1734 – April 7, 1782) was the only King of the Thonburi Kingdom.<br/><br/> He is greatly revered by the Thai people for his leadership in liberating Siam from Burmese occupation after the Second Fall of Ayutthaya in 1767, and the subsequent unification of Siam after it fell under various warlords. He established the city Thonburi as the new capital, as the city Ayutthaya had been almost completely destroyed by the invaders. His reign was characterized by numerous wars, fought to repel new Burmese invasions and to subjugate the northern Tai kingdom of Lan Na, the Laotian principalities, and Cambodia. He was succeeded by the Chakri dynasty and the Rattanakosin Kingdom under his long time friend King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke (Rama I).<br/><br/> Although warfare took up most of King Taksin's time, he paid a great deal of attention to politics, administration, economy, and the welfare of the country. He promoted trade and fostered relations with foreign countries including China, Britain, and the Netherlands. He had roads built and canals dug. Apart from restoring and renovating temples, the king attempted to revive literature, and various branches of the arts such as drama, painting, architecture and handicrafts. He also issued regulations for the collection and arrangement of various texts to promote education and religious studies.<br/><br/> In recognition of his achievements for Thailand, he was posthumously awarded the title of Maharaj ('Great King').
Taksin (Somdet Phra Chao Taksin Maharat; Thai: สมเด็จพระเจ้าตากสินมหาราช; Chinese: 鄭昭; pinyin: Zhèng Zhāo; Teochew: Dênchao; Vietnamese: Trịnh Quốc Anh) ; (April 17, 1734 – April 7, 1782) was the only King of the Thonburi Kingdom.<br/><br/> He is greatly revered by the Thai people for his leadership in liberating Siam from Burmese occupation after the Second Fall of Ayutthaya in 1767, and the subsequent unification of Siam after it fell under various warlords. He established the city Thonburi as the new capital, as the city Ayutthaya had been almost completely destroyed by the invaders. His reign was characterized by numerous wars, fought to repel new Burmese invasions and to subjugate the northern Tai kingdom of Lan Na, the Laotian principalities, and Cambodia. He was succeeded by the Chakri dynasty and the Rattanakosin Kingdom under his long time friend King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke (Rama I).<br/><br/> Although warfare took up most of King Taksin's time, he paid a great deal of attention to politics, administration, economy, and the welfare of the country. He promoted trade and fostered relations with foreign countries including China, Britain, and the Netherlands. He had roads built and canals dug. Apart from restoring and renovating temples, the king attempted to revive literature, and various branches of the arts such as drama, painting, architecture and handicrafts. He also issued regulations for the collection and arrangement of various texts to promote education and religious studies.<br/><br/> In recognition of his achievements for Thailand, he was posthumously awarded the title of Maharaj ('Great King').
Al-Andalus (Arabic: الأندلس‎, trans. al-ʼAndalus, Spanish: Al-Ándalus, Portuguese: Al-Andalus) was the Arabic name given to a nation and territorial region also commonly referred to as Moorish Iberia. The name describes parts of the Iberian Peninsula and Septimania governed by Muslims (often given the generic name of Moors), at various times in the period between 711 and 1492, although the territorial boundaries underwent constant changes due to wars with the Christian Kingdoms.<br/><br/> Following the Muslim conquest of Hispania, Al-Andalus was divided into five administrative areas roughly corresponding to Andalusia, Galicia and Portugal, Castile and León, Aragon and Catalonia, and Septimania. As a political domain or domains, it successively constituted a province of the Umayyad Caliphate, initiated by the Caliph Al-Walid I (711–750); the Emirate of Córdoba (c. 750–929); the Caliphate of Córdoba (929–1031); and the Caliphate of Córdoba's taifa (successor) kingdoms.<br/><br/> Rule under these kingdoms saw the rise in cultural exchange and cooperation between Christians, Muslims, and Jews. Under the Caliphate of Córdoba, al-Andalus was a beacon of learning, and the city of Córdoba became one of the leading cultural and economic centres in both the Mediterranean Basin and the Islamic world.