Chiang Mai Night Market & Thapae Gate | CNX Ep 7
Exploring the really cool Sunday Night Market & Thapae Gate
Thapae Gate
Tha Pae Gate is one of the most famous landmarks in Chiang Mai and is part of the crumbling city wall which once acted as a fortress for the ‘Old City’ The gate area is an epicentre for tourism in Chiang Mai, boasting more hotels, bars, restaurants, cafes, massage parlours and shops than anywhere else in the city. This area also has a spacious public square which plays host to a variety of events, from lantern-lighting during Loy Kratong, to water-fights at Songkran and regular live music and cultural shows throughout the year. Other notable dates include the Flower Carnival Festival and Makha Bucha Day (both February).
Chiang Mai’s Tha Pae Gate has a long and fascinating history, stretching back to when the province acted as the capital of the Lanna Kingdom from the 13th-18 century. During the city’s formation in the 13th century, the wall, adjacent moat and several large gates were built as defensive measures in case of attack (armies from the Mongol Empire in nearby Burma were a constant threat). When Chiang Mai was founded in 1296 by King Mangrai, the city was built with a shape that resembles a square bounded by the walls and a moat. The purpose was to protect the city from any invasion from their neighbour Thai and Burmese Kingdoms.
