Ayutthaya

Town (pop., 2000 prelim.: 75,898), former capital city of the Thai kingdom of Ayutthaya. It is located northeast of present-day Bangkok. Modern-day Thailand (then called Siam) is said to date from its founding (between 1347 and 1351). The kingdom of Ayutthaya was once one of the most powerful in Southeast Asia, and its capital city flourished for more than 400 years. Much of the ancient city's architecture, art, and literature was destroyed in 1767 when it was sacked by Hsinbyushin of the Alaungpaya dynasty. The modern town of Ayutthaya is set among the ruins of the ancient city. There is some manufacturing, and tourism is important. The area was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1991.

Ayutthaya (äyūtī'ə), or Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya (prä näkôn' sē), city (1990 pop. 61,185), capital of Ayutthaya prov., S central Thailand, on the Chao Phraya River. It is the trade center for a prosperous rice-growing region. Ayutthaya was the capital of a Thai kingdom founded c.1350 and was located on the site of a Khmer settlement. Destroyed by the Burmese in 1559, it was rebuilt by the Siamese in the late 16th cent. but was again devastated by the Burmese in 1767, after which the capital was moved to Thon Buri and then to Bangkok. Ayutthaya has some of the few monuments of early Siamese civilization, notably the royal palace (16th cent.) and numerous temples and pagodas.