The Walled City

And the mountains shall be thrown down, and the cliffs shall fall,

and every wall shall tumble to the ground.

 Ezekiel 38:20b (ESV)

Soon after we moved to Wiang Kaen, we discovered a forest near our home that still had a lot of very large, old trees.  We were surprised because there aren't a lot of old native trees left in Thailand, especially near towns.

Road through the forest

Looking at Google maps, we noticed that this Forest was fairly large in size.




Another thing that struck us when we moved here is the name of the place: Wiang Kaen. “Wiang” is a term used to describe walled cities, and we certainly didn't seem to be any walls around that we could notice.

Wiang Kaen today: Where's the wall?

Recently, they have been doing some cleaning up around the old forest, and in the process we have discovered something—the reason that this old forest still exists is because it is the old, walled city—it’s just that the forest have covered up a lot of the walls and moats and other historical landmarks in the place.  But now there is a map that shows the general layout.  Knowing this we have become aware of the old moat, quite deep in places and often near the present roads, but obscured by brush and trees.

The name of this place is “Boran Satan Wiang Kaen” (โบราณสถานเวียงแก่น which roughly translates: ancient Wiang Kaen) or “Wiang Kaen Forest” (ดงเวียงแก่น).  The old city was founded about 700 years ago.

Map of the old city

The general pattern of the border is an exterior wall, then the moat, then a larger, interior wall.  Below are two photos of where the interior wall has been cut for a road.

The cut through the wall looking into the old city

The cut through the wall looking out of the city

The moat is so grown over with vegetation, it is usually hard to notice that it exists.  In the photos below, I traced the approximate cross section of the moat.

The moat

The Moat

The are a few small “hills” which are the remains of old chedis.  The one below is labeled #3 on the map.  It has been opened up so that you can see some of the old bricks inside.

One of the old chedis

Looking down into the chedi

Another old chedi is across from the present, simple, Buddhist temple.  This one has a large tree growing in it.

Another remains of an old chedi

The are other, interesting relicts scattered about the forest.  This Buddha image of uncertain vintage is along a mostly overgrown trail.  Some “lucky bamboo” plants in front of it show that it seems to have received some attention in recent times.

Old Buddha image with newer
planting of lucky bamboo

The Buddhist temple is a bit different.  It is constructed like an ordinary building instead of using the usual ornate architecture.  The entrance is a roll-up steel door.  Often it is closed.

The temple

There is a shrine to the “Lord (spirit) of Wiang Kaen” (เจ้าหลวงเวียงแก่น).  A new one has just been built in the last couple of months; it is adjacent to the old one.

Shrine of the "Lord of Wiang Kaen"

It's interesting to look back at this old city and see what it has become.  I'm sure that the people of the old city thought that what they built would endure for ages, but instead all that remains are a few mounds of dirt.

In the same way, we often behave like or think that the things we see around us, the product of the labors and imaginations of mankind, will last forever.  In reality, we really have no idea what our hometown will look like in 50 or 100 years.

Only God is the eternal, unchanging one; He and His word will remain forever.


Why spend money on what is not bread,
    and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
   and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.
Isaiah 55:2 (NIV) 

For he is the living God
   and he endures forever;
his kingdom will not be destroyed,
   his dominion will never end.

Daniel 6:26b (NIV)