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Province

Bangkok (Bangkok Yai district)

Bangkok Yai lies on the west bank of the Chao Phraya, opposite Phra Nakhon, between Bangkok Noi to the north and Khlong Bangkok Yai to the south, a former course of the river before a shortcut canal was dug in the sixteenth century. Once a customs post and stronghold on the river route to Ayutthaya, the area became in 1767 the centre of Thonburi, King Taksin’s capital. His palace survives within the headquarters of the Royal Thai Navy, close to Wichai Prasit Fort, which guards the mouth of the canal. The district retains old temples and waterside communities along its khlongs, while Wat Arun raises its prang on the riverbank.