Mukdahan ( th, มุกดาหาร, ) is a town (''

thesaban mueang Thesaban ( th, เทศบาล, , ) are the municipalities of Thailand. There are three levels of municipalities: city, town, and sub-district. Bangkok and Pattaya are special municipal entities not included in the ''thesaban'' system. The mu ...

'') and

capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

of Mukdahan Province, which became

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

's 73rd province in 1982. In the northern region of the country, on the right (west) bank

Mekong River The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's twelfth longest river and the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annuall ...

, it was formerly a district of Nakhon Phanom Province. The

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of the municipal area was 180,600 in 2010. Mukdahan is 645 km northeast of Bangkok.

Etymology

The city was established at the mouth of Muk Creek ( th, ห้วยมุก) and named ''Mukdahan'' from ''Kaeo Mukdahan'', derived from the following: *''Kaeo'' แก้ว noun or adjective: glass other than sheet glass; a glass, a tumbler; gem-like, precious, exquisite. *''Muk'' มุก noun: mother-of pearl; nacre. *''Da'' ดา verb intransitive: to advance along a wide front *''Han'' หาร verb intransitive or transitive: to divide; to be divided.

History

Prehistoric paintings and other archaeological discoveries show that the area of Mukdahan was the site of ancient communities. The modern history of the city begins late in the

Ayutthaya Era The Ayutthaya Kingdom (; th, อยุธยา, , IAST: or , ) was a Siamese kingdom that existed in Southeast Asia from 1351 to 1767, centered around the city of Ayutthaya, in Siam, or present-day Thailand. The Ayutthaya Kingdom is conside ...

(1350-1767). In the years 1767–1770, Prince

Kinnari A kinnara is a celestial musician, part human and part bird, who are musically paradigmatic lovers, in Hinduism and Buddhism. In these traditions, the ''kinnaras'' (male) and ''kinnaris'' (female counterpart) are two of the most beloved mytho ...

, son of Prince Suriwong, ruler in Ban Luang Phonsim of Savannakhét, established a settlement at the mouth of Muk Creek, across the

Mekong The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's List of rivers by length, twelfth longest river and List of longest rivers of Asia, the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , ...

from Savannakhét. In the reign of King

Taksin King Taksin the Great ( th, สมเด็จพระเจ้าตากสินมหาราช, , ) or the King of Thonburi ( th, สมเด็จพระเจ้ากรุงธนบุรี, ; ; Teochew dialect, Teochew: Dên ...

, 1768–1782, Prince Kinnari received appointment as ''Phraya Chandara Sri Surat'' with a rank equivalent to

viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning "k ...

. In

1893 Events January–March * January 2 – Webb C. Ball introduces railroad chronometers, which become the general railroad timepiece standards in North America. * Mark Twain started writing Puddn'head Wilson. * January 6 – Th ...

, Savannakhét District of Mukdahan was ceded to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

.Ho Kaeo Mukdahan Museum Brochure

Climate

Mukdahan has a

tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry winter) and ''As'' (for a dry summer). The driest month has less than of p ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

''Aw''). Winters are dry and warm. Temperatures rise until April, which is hot with the average daily maximum at . The

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...

season runs from late-April through early-October, with heavy rains and somewhat cooler temperatures during the day, although nights remain warm.

Second Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge

The

Second Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds e ...

, across the Mekong to

Savannakhet Savannakhet (ສະຫວັນນະເຂດ), officially named Kaysone Phomvihane ( lo, ໄກສອນ ພົມວິຫານ; th, ไกสอน พมวิหาน) since 2005 and previously known as ''Khanthaboury'' (ຄັນທະ ...

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...

was completed in December 2006.

Ho Kaeo Mukdahan

Ho Kaeo Mukdahan ( th, หอแก้วมุกดาหาร), or Mukdahan Tower, is an

observation tower An observation tower is a structure used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision to conduct long distance observations. Observation towers are usually at least tall and are made from stone, iron, an ...

65.5 metres in height, constructed in 1996 to honor the 50th anniversary of the king's accession to the throne. *1st Floor—Art and Culture Museum *2nd Floor—History and Culture of eight ethnic tribes of Mukdahan :*

Tai Kha Tai or TAI may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tai (comics) a fictional Marvel Comics supervillain *Tai Fraiser, a fictional character in the 1995 film ''Clueless'' *Tai Kamiya, a fictional character in ''Digimon'' Businesses and organisations ...

( th, ไทยข่า) :*

Tai Kha Soe Tai or TAI may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tai (comics) a fictional Marvel Comics supervillain *Tai Fraiser, a fictional character in the 1995 film ''Clueless'' *Tai Kamiya, a fictional character in ''Digimon'' Businesses and organisations ...

( th, ไทยกะโซ่) :* Tai Kha Lerng ( th, ไทยกะเลิง) :*

Isan Northeast Thailand or Isan (Isan/ th, อีสาน, ; lo, ອີສານ; also written as Isaan, Isarn, Issarn, Issan, Esan, or Esarn; from Pali ''īsānna'' or Sanskrit ईशान्य ''īśānya'' "northeast") consists of 20 provin ...

Peoples ( th, ชาวไทยอิสาน) :* Tai Yor ( th, ไทยย้อ) :* Tai Saek ( th, ไทยแสก) :* Tai Kula ( th, ไทยกุลา) :* Phu Tai ( th, ชาวผู้ไทย) *3rd-5th Floors—Pillar of the tower *6th Floor—360° Observation deck *7th Floor—A

silver Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...

Buddha image Buddhist art is visual art produced in the context of Buddhism. It includes depictions of Gautama Buddha and other Buddhas and bodhisattvas, notable Buddhist figures both historical and mythical, narrative scenes from their lives, mandalas, and ...

in the

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally cal ...

position called ''Phra Buddhanavamingmongkol'' ( th, พระพุทธนวมิ่งมงคลดาหาร), and the Buddha image for each day of the week

References

External links

* Populated places in Mukdahan province Laos–Thailand border crossings Populated places on the Mekong River Cities and towns in Thailand Isan {{Borders of Thailand