A centuries-old monastery in southern Thailand has just been listed as a UNESCO world heritage site, a recognition welcomed on Sunday by the government, which sees it as a lever for its preservation.
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Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan in Nakhon Si Thammarat province becomes Thailand’s ninth world heritage site, and the first in the south of the country, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. This inscription “will further strengthen cooperation both at the national and local level, in terms of conservation, protection and sustainable management” of the site, he said.
Also called Phra Mahathat Monastery, the place “has constituted a major regional Buddhist center since its founding in the 8th century”, according to the UN agency.
The complex brings together imposing gray stupas, a gigantic reclining Buddha, rows of standing and seated golden Buddhas, as well as numerous ornate representations of guardian deities.
Nestled in the Thai peninsula, between the Pacific and Indian oceans, the monastery bears traces of multiple religious influences, Brahmanism, Hinduism, Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism, and architectural traditions from India, Sri Lanka and Burma, recalls Unesco.
World heritage listings are generally seen as a driver for tourism, a strategic sector of the Thai economy which is still struggling to regain its level before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The number of foreign tourists fell by more than 3% in the first half of the year compared to the same period of 2025, according to the latest figures from the Ministry of Tourism.
