The subtitle ‘Capital of Lanna’ discloses the common thread of this future nomination: Lan Na, the long independent Northern Thai state which developed the fortified city of Chiang Mai as its capital from the 13th til the 18th century. Chiang Mai in the past decades has rediscovered itself and found the need to distinguish itself from Bangkok and ‘mainstream’ Thailand. A lot of effort has been put into the restoration of its monuments, which had lain in the rubble for a long time.

I read up a bit beforehand on Lanna art and architecture, but for a non-expert the differences with the classic Thai Buddhist structures are subtle. Teak is often used in construction, and typical buildings have steep overlapping roofs. Overall they show stronger Burmese influences.

In February 2023 I went to all 4 locations that are now considered to be in scope according to the latest information presented at the Forum, which differs from the official TWHS description.

On my first day in Chiang Mai, I visited some 10 temples that all lie within the walled old city or close to it. I still walked 12.6 km! The remains of the city wall itself aren’t much to look at, the wide moat however is still fully present and filled with water.

My Top 4 of these temples consist of:

1. Wat Chedi Luang: huge brick chedi (originally 82m high), with a lot of interesting smaller shrines and temples surrounding it. The chedi was partly restored in the 1990s and sparked controversy as it was done more in a Thai than a Lanna style. The pretty teakwood Wat Phan Toa next door is also worth visiting.
2. Wat Lok Moli: has fine sculptures and a teak wooden pavilion with stained glass. At the bare brick chedi in the back, there is an intriguing gilded bird on a wire with which you can shuttle holy water to the Buddha statue at the top.
3. Wat Suan Dok: at the entrance, there is a large group of smaller, white chedis similar to what can be seen in Myanmar. They contain the ashes of members of the royal family of Chiang Mai. The main temple is enormous and has an open structure.
4. Wat Pra Singh: this is the big golden one in the heart of the old city, I believe all other photos submitted so far to the site page are of this location.

On the morning of the second day, I hit the 2 locations further away. Doi Suthep is a sacred mountain 15km outside of the city. I took a GrabTaxi up there and he waited for the return trip. I arrived relatively early at 9.30 a.m., but it was very busy as it’s a clear favourite with tour groups. I found it too kitschy.

On the way back to town I let the taxi drop me at Wat Ched Yot – undeniably the most atmospheric of all temples included. The complex is modelled after the Mahabodhi Temple in India: there are clear Indian influences in the decoration and there is an old Bodhi tree on the premises.

So far, all 22 voters have given Chiang Mai a ‘thumbs up’ for inscription, the highest support overall for a TWHS. While I did not find it great, several of the individual temples are surely worth visiting and all are in good repair. They are also still in active use which adds positively to the visitor experience. As Chiang Mai is a modern, large city the setting of it all isn’t as beautiful as in its closest comparator Luang Prabang, and we’ve got the Ancient Cities of Upper Myanmar somewhere in the queue which I also would rank higher than Chiang Mai.