Rapid Assessment for Resilient Recovery and ... - GFDRR

ancient capital 244 years ago. Others house collections of ancient artifacts or
traditional objects. Under the Ministry of Culture, the Fine Arts Department (FAD) has
under its responsibility a number of National Museums, National Libraries and National
Archives, while the International Committee of Museums (ICOM) has a national committee
representing all museums in Thailand.
The FAD is also responsible for numerous historical sites throughout the country, which
account for more than 1,100 in the assessed provinces. Temples, stupas, buddhas and
other religious symbols are either distinguished as “living temples” or “deserted temples”,
differentiating those in religious use or not, and might include archeological ruins. Beyond
these temples, the National Office of Buddhism oversees more than 15,000 temples and
religious facilities over the 26 assessed, flood-affected provinces. Ten Historical Parks are
also managed by the FAD, which are essentially a regrouping of historical sites within a
given area. Two of them, Sukothai and Ayuthaya, are listed on UNESCO’s World Heritage
List, but only Ayuthaya is within the assessed regions. The former capital of the Siamese
empire, Ayuthaya still bears witness to the period of development of a true national Thai
art, and was granted registration on the UNESCO list in 1991. Since the increased
international awareness of Thailand’s cultural assets, foreign and local tourist traffic has
risen. This has resulted in an associated increase in revenue and a growing understanding
of the value of the heritage sector to the Thai national economy.
The country also possess a long tradition of vernacular “water architecture”; until recently
people settled near the water were adequately equipped to face floods, with housing either
on stilts or on rafts, living in symbiosis with the land not only through housing typologies
but also with a lifestyle that integrated annual flooding as a matter of course. Today, these
various vernacular structures are disappearing, threatened by a change of land use and
the desire to “modernize”. This often leaves dwellers more vulnerable to floods, as they
build closer to the ground, while remaining in the same flood-prone areas. At the same
time, some communities along canals, as well as some traditional floating markets, are
regularly visited by foreign tourists in search of an “authentic” experience of Thailand.
Of equal importance to the country is its natural heritage. With 15 percent of the country’s
land and sea designated as parks and sanctuary, Thailand has one of the highest percentages
of protected space in Asia. Two of Thailand’s national parks are listed as UNESCO
World Heritage sites: Khao Yai National Park and Thung Yai and Huai Kha Khaeng wildlife
sanctuaries. Within the 26 assessed provinces there are six wildlife preservation
sanctuaries and 15 national parks. This protected natural area represents more than 7,100
km2 of land, representing 5.26 percent of the province’s area. While some present unique
landscape features and others hold archeological ruins and historical temples, the most
infamous one is the Khao Phra Viharn National Park, which holds on its grounds the
contentious Preah Vihar Temple on the border of Thailand and Cambodia; its ownership
has been the source of major diplomatic and sometimes military dispute between the
neighboring countries.
Intangible Heritage
Religious holidays are an integral part of Thailand’s culture, involving communities in
various traditions and festivals, either through Thailand’s own festivals (such as Loy
Krathong or Yi Peng festivals) or international festivals marked around the world (Chinese
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