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This archaeological site is considered to be
cultural property of outstanding universal value and was nominated as a
World Heritage Site in December 1992. The Site is located at Ban
Chiang, Amphoe Nong Han, 55 kilometers from the province on Highway No.
22 (Udon Thani-Sakon Nakon). Turn left at the 50-km marker to Highway
No. 2225 and proceed for 6 kilometers.
Ban Chiang National Museum located at Ban Chiang, Tambon Ban Chiang,
Amphoe Nong Han, is comprised of two parts. The first part stores
antiques. Inside the building, old artifacts, ancient Ban Chiang
culture, tools and utensils that showcase ancient technology and
surroundings, as well as earthenware pots from 4,000 to 7,500 years
old, are displayed. The second part is an open museum in the compound
of Wat Po Si Nai. The Fine Arts Department has retained the conditions
of archaeological excavations to illustrate how earthenware pots and
other items were buried along with the dead. Ban Chiang National Museum
is considered the first open museum in Thailand. As for the Ban Chiang
earthenware pots, they are known world-wide because Ban Chiang was the
origin of a pre-historic civilization. Archaeologists believe the
designs on Ban Chiang earthenware are the oldest pot designs in the
world.
Traveling to Ban Chiang National Museum is very easy. It is only
fifty-six kilometers from Muang District. The route runs along Highway
22 and turns left onto Highway 2225 at kilometer 50, where a road sign
indicates the way to Ban Chiang which is six kilometers away.
The museum is open to the general public every day, except Mondays and Tuesdays, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
with an admission fee of 150 baht. The museum has a parking area with toilets and village shops located nearby.
On the way to Ban Chiang, visitors can stop at several villages
where handicrafts are made. Ban Kham O located along the Udon
Thani-Sakon Nakhon Road is a Ban Chiang pottery sculpture center while
Ban Pu Lu is a pottery-painting place.
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