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Photo: FredTC, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The oldest temple in the city. Presumed to date from the year Chiang Mai was founded (1296), it is famed for two Buddha statues, which are about 1,800 and 1,000 years old, respectively. King Mengrai allegedly lived here while the city of Chiang Mai was being constructed. Enshrined in Wat Chiang Man is a tiny crystal Buddha called Pra Seh-Taang Kamaneeee, which is thought to have the power to bring rain. Another image, called Phra Sila Khoa, reflects the fine workmanship of Indian craftsmen from thousands of years ago.
Wat Chiang Man is a Buddhist temple inside the old city of Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
หอประวัติศาสตร์เมืองเชียงใหม่
This modern multimedia history and cultural education centre has guides dressed in elegant traditional Thai clothing who will usher you into an air-conditioned room to watch an English-subtitled orientation video about Chiang Mai and the north. Next, you will be pointed to a series of rooms documenting the region's history and culture in chronological order from the pre-Muang period (7,000-12,000 years ago) to the early river civilizations, to the early kings through the wars with the Burmese and the last dynasty, to the city today and its plans for the future. Other rooms are devoted to Buddhism and other regional beliefs, agricultural history, hill tribe peoples and other regional cultures, and a run-down of the royal dynasties. The exhibits consist of a smart visual mix of video, scale models, enlarged photos, wall murals and text in Thai and English. This complex also shared with the Chiang Mai City Arts & Cultural Centre
พิพิธภัณฑ์ธนารักษ์ จังหวัดเชียงใหม่
One of two money museums in Thailand, focused on northern Thailand, run by government treasury department, in a heritage building. It is small: plan 1 hr to see, need to take off shoes.
American University Alumni
AUA offers seven different 6- and 8-week courses M-F. Group courses start monthly with a minimum of 5 students. Individual instruction any time. Great library for student use, 100 baht per term. Caveats: they use the Haas transliteration system, not everyone's cup of tea. And they also have some petty rules, such as no shorts in class although no one observes the rule. No Wi-Fi.
Khum Museum
Located in the Khum Chao Burirat Mahain Building, a two storey house as an example of the western influence on native architecture in early Chiang Mai times, there are videos, photos, and models about traditional Thai buildings. You can also buy postcards, pencils, and tees about Khum Chao Burirat there. There are several stamps of Thai building pictures to stamp on your booklet.
Courses include a cookbook and market tour. Day or evening classes.
Wat Lok Moli is a historic Lanna-style temple dating back to the 14th century.