Ramkhamhaeng National Museum

About this Place

The Ramkhamhaeng National Museum at the entrance to Sukhothai Historical Park is the essential starting point for any visit, providing historical context for the ruins. The museum's prize exhibit is a replica of the Ramkhamhaeng Stele — a 13th-century stone inscription in early Thai script, one of the oldest surviving examples of the Thai alphabet attributed to King Ramkhamhaeng the Great. (The original is in Bangkok's National Museum.) The two-story building houses Sukhothai-period Buddha images, bronze statuary, ceramics, architectural fragments, and explanatory panels on the Sukhothai kingdom's rise and fall. Admission includes entry to the museum and some park zones. The collection is modest by national museum standards but illuminating in context. Friendly staff provide free orientation maps for cycling the historical park. Well air-conditioned — a good refuge during midday heat.