Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Secret Buddha Garden

Discover Secret Buddha Garden in Na Mueang, Thailand: A sculpture garden built by a retired durian farmer.

Wat Yannawa Boat Temple

Originally named Wat Kok Khwai, the Buddhist temple now known as Wat Yannawa or the “Boat Temple” was built during the Ayutthaya era, before the founding of Bangkok. It was merely a local place of worship until King Rama I granted it royal status an…

Chang and Eng Memorial Statue

Those familiar with the history of the traveling circus know Chang and Eng Bunker as the original Siamese twins. They were born in Samut Songkhram, a small village of Thailand (formerly Siam) in 1811. The conjoined twins, bound together by a band of ca…

Gongs of the Phibun Mangsahan Village

Discover Gongs of the Phibun Mangsahan Village in Khong Chiam, Thailand: Thailand's country villages continue the tradition of gong-making, and invite visitors to watch the process.

Ancient Siam Miniature Park

Discover Ancient Siam Miniature Park in Phraeksa, Thailand: All of Thailand's architectural landmarks, plus some made up ones, all viewable via two-seater bicycle.

Democracy Monument

Discover Democracy Monument in Bangkok, Thailand: Bangkok celebrated its shifting monarchy with a militaristic homage to democracy.

Phra Nang Cave

Discover Phra Nang Cave in Phela, Thailand: A phallic shrine to a princess goddess in Krabi, Thailand.

Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University

Discover Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University in Bangkok, Thailand: Buddhist university that allows English-language speakers the opportunity to study with monks in Thailand.

Wat Phumin

Discover Wat Phumin in Pha Sing, Thailand: Riding on a pair of architectural dragons, this Thailand temple holds murals full of lurid imagery.

Mini Siam

About 95 miles south of Bangkok in Pattaya, Thailand, a large park offers over 80 famous historical and sacred sites in miniature. The park was built in 1986 to attract more tourists to this remote part of Thailand. Most of the models are on a scale of …

House of Opium

Discover House of Opium in Wiang, Thailand: A small museum in the Golden Triangle tells the story of the opium drug trade that gripped Northern Thailand.

Big Buddha Temple

Discover Wat Phra Yai (Big Buddha Temple) in Ko Samui, Thailand: A dazzling temple featuring a towering 12-meter golden Buddha.

The Kingdom of Somchai’s Affection

Discover The Kingdom of Somchai’s Affection in Ko Kut, Thailand: On the small Thai island of Ko Mak, there is a forgotten garden of erotic statuary.

Erawan Shrine

Discover Erawan Shrine in Bangkok, Thailand: A shrine built to combat the bad karma of a commercial venture.

Bo Sang Umbrella Village

Discover Bo Sang Umbrella Village in San Kamphaeng, Thailand: Peek into the world of those creating the beautiful, delicate paper parasols found all over the globe.

Mummy of Luang Pho Dang

After he died at 79 years old while meditating, the Buddhist monk Luang Pho Dang was closed in a glass coffin and left in his mudra pose with his legs folded, lotus style. Over 20 years later, his body remains incredibly well-preserved. In death, the se…

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To represent a masterpiece of human creative genius. 261 ii
To exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design. 480 iii
To bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared. 514 iv
To be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history. 642 ix
To be outstanding examples representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals. 137 v
To be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change. 172 vi
To be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance. (The Committee considers that this criterion should preferably be used in conjunction with other criteria). 256 vii
To contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance. 151 viii
To be outstanding examples representing major stages of earth's history, including the record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features. 98 x
To contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation. 168

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