Nakhon Ratchasima or is one of the four major cities of Isan, Thailand, known as
the "Big 4 of Isan". The city is commonly known as Korat, a short form of
its previous name. It is the capital of the Nakhon Ratchasima Province and
Nakhon Ratchasima District. Nakhon Ratchasima is the heart of the Nakhon
Ratchasima metropolitan area. Khorat is at the western edge of the
Khorat Plateau. Historically, it has marked the boundary between Lao and
Siamese territory. Today it is considered a gateway to the northeast.
Its geographical location is 14°58.5′N 102°6′E. As of 2010, the municipal area
had a population of 142,645. Etymology
Archeological evidence suggests that in Sung Noen District, 32 km west of
present-day Nakhon Ratchasima, there were two ancient towns called Sema are
notable artifacts of the Khorat plateau) and Khorakapura., all connoting the same
as Thai mueang: "city with defensive wall".) Noting that, the real names of
the two ancient towns are not known and the names "Sema" and "Khorakapura" were
only assigned in the 20th century. The latter name was shortened to Nakhon Raj.
derives from Sanskrit nagara, "city"; Raj, from Sanskrit Raj, "sovereign.")
The present city name is a portmanteau of Nakhon Raj and Sema.
The city is commonly known as "Khorat" or "Korat", which is a short version of
the ancient Khmer name "ankor raj". History
Prior to the 14th century, the area of Nakhon Ratchasima was under Khmer empire
suzerainty and known in Khmer as Nokor Reach Seyma / Nokor Reach Borei, and
Koreach, while Phimai to the north was probably more important.
King Narai of Ayutthaya in the 17th century, ordered a new city built on the
site to serve as a stronghold on Ayutthaya's northeastern frontier.
Nakhon Ratchasima was thereafter mentioned in Siamese chronicles and
legal documents as a "second-class" city of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. A royal
governor ruled the city in a hereditary position.
After the final phase of the Ayutthaya kingdom ended with its complete
destruction by the Burmese in 1767, a son of King Boromakot attempted to set
himself up ruler in Phimai, holding sway over Khorat and other eastern provinces.
King Taksin of the Thonburi Kingdom sent two of his generals, brothers Thong
Duang and Boonma, to defeat the prince, who was executed in 1768. Thong Duang
later became King Rama I of the kingdom, and Khorat became his strategic
stronghold on the northeastern frontier to supervise the Lao and Khmer tributary
states. In 1826, Vientiane King Chao Anouvong,
perceiving Siam as weakened, attacked Khorat in the Laotian Rebellion against
King Rama III that was to rage on for two years. Lady Mo, the wife of the
deputy governor at the time, is credited with having freed the city from
Anouvong's army, and has been honored with a statue in the center of downtown
Khorat. A full account of the war and its impact on Laos and Siam, is
well-detailed in the book, Lady Mo and Heroism at Tung Samrit, written by Frank
G Anderson. The city's old wall, east of the monument was designed and built by a
French engineer who is believed to be the one who also built Naraimaharaj
Palace in Lopburi. The French-based design is reflected in the moat system
that surrounds the innermost portion of the city.
Nakhon Ratchasima continued to be an important political and economic center
in the northeastern region under the Monthon administrative reforms of the
late 19th century. In November 1900, the Royal State Railways of Siam began
operation of the Nakhon Ratchasima Line from Bangkok with Khorat Station as its
terminus. The Ubon Ratchathani Line to the town of Warin opened 1 November
1922. The Thanon Chira Junction to Khon Kaen opened on 1 April 1933. Khorat
station was changed to Nakhon Ratchasima Railway Station in 1934.
In October 1933, after the Siamese revolution of 1932 ended the absolute
monarchy, the city became the headquarters of the Boworadet Rebellion,
an abortive uprising against the new government in Bangkok.
In April 1981 during another attempted coup, the government, together with the
royal family, took refuge in Khorat. From 1962-1976, during the Vietnam War,
Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base hosted components of the Royal Thai Air Force,
the United States Air Force, and a complement of the Royal New Zealand Air
Force. After the US withdrawal in 1976, the Thai Air Force assumed full control.
During the 1980s and early 1990s, the airfield was jointly operated as a civil
airport for Nakhon Ratchasima. This ended with the opening of Nakhon
Ratchasima Airport in the early 1990s. On 13 August 1993, Thailand's worst
hotel disaster happened in the city, the collapse of the Royal Plaza Hotel,
killing 137 people. Transportation
Nakhon Ratchasima is on the northeastern railway line, connecting Bangkok with
Ubon Ratchathani and Nong Khai. Also passing the city is Mittraphap Road.
26 km east of the city is the Nakhon Ratchasima Airport. As at 30 November
2006, however, the airport does not handle passenger traffic, and shipping
has not been seen as a major commercial possibility. Several attempts to run
passenger services have ended in failure, despite charges as low as 99
baht to fly to Bangkok, and authorities are still discussing ways to make the
400 million baht investment a paying venture. Happy Air planned to fly from
Nakhon Ratchasima to Chiang Mai and Bangkok with the 33-seat Swedish built
Saab 340 with services intended to begin in August 2010. However, there are still
no scheduled air services operating from the airport.
Major points of interest Thao Suranaree Monument - Currently
under renovation. Wat Sala Loi
Khorat Zoo - The zoo is about 13 km south of the city on Hwy 304.
Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base was used by the United States Air Force during
the Vietnam War. It is some 8 km south of the city.
Khorat has becoming increasingly attractive to foreigners over the last
five years, with growing numbers mostly from North America and Europe moving to
the province. Still rustic, with cheap housing and land prices, the province is
only three hours drive from Bangkok, and as its '"gateway to the northeast"
moniker suggests, Khorat connects the other 18 northeast Thailand provinces
with the central region by rail and highway.
Korat cat (Thai: โคราช, มาเลศ, สีสวาด, rtgs:
Khorat, Malet, Sisawat) The Korat is a natural breed, and one of
the oldest stable cat breeds. Originating in Thailand, it is named
after the Nakhon Ratchasima province. In Thailand the breed is known as Si-Sawat,
meaning "colour of the sawat seed". They are known colloquially as the "good luck
cat" and are given in pairs to newlyweds or to people who are highly esteemed,
for good luck. Until recently, Korats were not sold, but only given as gifts.
Korats first appeared in Britain under the name "Blue Siamese" in 1889 and
1896, but as these solid blue cats did not conform to the cat show judges'
perception of a Siamese cat they disappeared by 1901. One early import,
"Dwina", owned by Russian Blue breeder Mrs Constance Carew-Cox and mentioned in
Frances Simpson's The Book of the Cat, reputedly produced a large number of
"Siamese" kittens; the other, Mrs B. Spearman's Blue Siamese male, "Nam Noi",
was disqualified as a Siamese, but accepted in the Russian or Any Other
Blue class in which he placed first. Spearman tried unsuccessfully to import
more of these "Blue Siamese". Korats first appeared in America in the
1950s. In 1959, Cedar Glen cattery was the first to import a pair of Korats to
the US for breeding: a male named Nara and a female named Darra. The Korat was
introduced to the UK by Betty Munford of the High Street, Hungerford.
Climate There are generally three seasons in the
region: Hot, Rainy, Cold. In the cold season, minimum temperatures in Korat
proper will drop to about 18 °C, and in rural areas, down to about 12 °C.
Education = Universities=
There are 4 universities in the area. Suranaree University of Technology
Nakhon Ratchasima Rajabhat University Rajamangala University of Technology
Isan Vongchavalitkul University
= Schools= Saint Mary's College Nakhon Ratchasima
Suratham Pitak School Rajsima Wittayalai School
Suranaree Witthaya School Boonwattana School
St.Mary Business Administration College Assumption School Nakhon Ratchasima
Marie vitthaya School Nakhon Ratchasima = International schools=
Anglo Singapore International School Facilities
= Hospitals= Fort Suranaree Hospital
Saint Mary's Hospital Korat Memorial Hospital
Bangkok-Ratchasima Hospital Po-Pat Hospital
Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital The Golden Gate Hospital
= Shopping centres and department stores=
The Mall Nakhon Ratchasima including Home Pro and EGV Cinemas, on Mittraphap
Road Big C Supercenter, on Mittraphap-Nong
Khai Road Klang Plaza Atsadang, on Atsadang Road.
Klang Plaza Chomsurang, on Chomsurangyat Road
Klang Villa Suranarai Road IT City, on Mittraphap Road.
Makro, on Mittraphap-Nong Khai Road. Tesco Lotus Nakhon Ratchasima 1
Hypermarket, on Road No.2 Tesco Lotus Nakhon Ratchasima 2
Departmentstore, on Road No.224 Home Pro Nakhon Ratchasima, on Road
No.204 Central Plaza Nakhon Ratchasima
Terminal 21 Nakhon Ratchasima(opening in early 2015)
Sports = 80th Birthday Stadium=
The 80th Birthday Stadium is a sports facility in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.
It is the main stadium in His Majesty the King's 80th Birthday Anniversary,
5th December 2007 Sports Complex. It is home to Nakhon Ratchasima FC, a Thailand
Premier League team and was used for the 2007 SEA Games.
The stadium is in the former SEA Games sports complex on Highway 304 to the
southwest of the city of Nakhon Ratchasima. The stadium is all-seater
with capacity for 20,000 spectators. The tribunes form a continuous ring, almost
a perfect circle, around the pitch and running track. The stands are uncovered
on three sides but a huge cantilevered roof provides cover for about 7,000
seats on one side where the ring rises to approximately double the height of
the tribune it faces. Most of the seats in the stadium are bright orange and are
the fixed-bucket style. In the main stand some of the seats at the top of
the tribune are red and those in the VIP section are not fixed bucket, but the
tip-up type favoured in the UK. In the lower sections of the main stand the
initials SAT are picked out in blue. The equivalent letters in Thai script are
also picked out in blue. There are commentary boxes and private suites at
the top of the main stand. There is also a large royal box in the middle of the
main stand. At the northern end of the stadium is a large scoreboard. At the
opposite end are the three flagpoles used for the SEA Games and the place
where the Olympic flame burned. Football clubs
Nakhon Ratchasima F.C. Pakchong United F.C.
= Local media= Newspapers
The Korat Daily. Thai language. The Korat Post. English-language
monthly. See also
Nakhon Ratchasima Province List of Cities, Towns and Townships in
Nakhon Ratchasima Province Korat
References External links
Nakhon Ratchasima travel guide from Wikivoyage