Klong: Thailand's oldest canal system that has survived to this day

Not so long ago, the low-lying coastal part of Thailand was permeated by a dense network of canals. For this reason, the city of Bangkok, where many of them intersected, was even called the "Asian Venice", or the "Venice of the East." Today, some of them are bombarded, but many have remained and continue to be used by small fishing boats, river trams and sightseeing vessels.

Klong - a system of Thai canals, which is one of the oldest in the world. These waterways played an important role in the development of trade, and small riverboats, cleverly scurrying along the canals, were the main means of transport in the region. In addition, floating markets were located on the canals - a symbiosis of water transport and a trading platform characteristic of Southeast Asia.

The construction of this transport system began in the XVI century, when the kingdom of Thailand was called Siam, and continued for several centuries, until the beginning of the XX century. Part of Klong is the rivers of Thailand (Thachin, Mekhlong, Chauphraya and others), which are also included in the waterways. Artificial channels were dug between these natural watercourses, which over time became more and more. They delivered goods to the capital of Siam, which was then located in the city of Ayutthaya.

But in the 20th century, shipping channels became a real problem for Bangkok, a large metropolitan city with a rapidly growing population. Numerous water arteries piercing the "Venice of the East" began to interfere with the further development of the city. They significantly complicated road construction, and the design of city blocks often encountered the problem of being present on a particular canal territory. In addition, the small vessels of merchants and fishermen gave way to more modern ones, which because of their size often could not pass through the narrow and shallow channels of Klong.

For these reasons, the canals began to gradually fall asleep, and ordinary streets appeared in their place. But there are still quite a lot of them, even in Bangkok itself. Colorful urban transport runs along them - river trams, on which city traffic jams can be easily circled. And the channels outside the capital are increasingly popular among tourists. It was decided to leave some of them, not only for the development of the tourism sector, but also as a memory of past eras, when waterways served as the basis for the prosperity of Siam.