Introduction to Kor Tor Mor Square

There used to be yet another royal mansion located here. But it was pulled down during the reign of King Rama 5 and this area was converted into one of Bangkok’s biggest markets as seen in the picture on the inside flap of our tour map.
The Saochingcha Market consisted of concrete row buildings built around a public square. Craftsmen here were very good at making brass look like gold, and the market became renowned for its quote unquote “saochingcha gold.” Jewelry made in the Saochingcha Market was especially popular in the rural areas where few people were able to distinguish the differences between brass and gold. The market also had a number of gambling dens that were open only during business hours between 7am and 5pm.

Saochingcha market was eventually paved over to make this boring concrete square. Musical and dramatic performances are often held here on holidays, but for the most part this is just wasted space. However there is some good news for you, underneath Kor Tor Mor Square is a large underground parking lot with comfortable public toilets. Drop by if you need.
Just in front of the square you can see a giant granite plaque with the proper name of Bangkok inscribed in Thai characters. The intention was to place the plaque here so that tourists could stand in front of it and take their photos. But most visitors to the square are unaware of what the plaque says as it is in Thai language and there is no explanation provided. The full name of the city is, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, the longest place name in the world. So be patient as we officially welcome you to:

“Krungthepmahanakhonamornrattanakosinmahintharayudthayamahadilokphopnoppharatratchathaniburiromudomratchaniwetmahasatharnamornpimarnawatansathitsakkathattiyawitsanukramprasit.”

Roughly translated this is: “The city of angels, the great city, the eternal jewel city, the impregnable city of God Indra, the grand capital of the world endowed with nine precious gems, the happy city, abounding in an enormous Royal Palace that resembles the heavenly abode where reigns the reincarnated god, a city given by Indra and built by Vishnukarn.”

Don’t feel bad if you can’t say the whole thing properly. Most Thai, even though they are taught it in school, cannot recall the full name of their capital city. The language used is so archaic that most Thai find it incomprehensible and difficult to remember. So most just shorten it to Krungthep, or the Thai initials Kor Tor Mor. However there are a select few that can recite it thanks to a popular song that takes the full name for its lyrics.