Korat — gateway to Isaan and the Khmer heartland of the Thai plateau
Nakhon Ratchasima — universally known as Korat — is Thailand's second-largest city by population and the gateway to Isaan, the vast northeastern plateau that is Thailand's cultural and culinary heartland. The city itself is functional rather than beautiful, but its surroundings are extraordinary: Phimai Historical Park (45km north) is a perfectly preserved 11th-century Khmer temple complex that predates Angkor Wat and is connected to it by the Royal Road — a UNESCO-listed ancient Khmer highway still visible in the landscape. Pak Thong Chai (30km south) is the silk-weaving centre of Thailand,…
The area around modern Korat was inhabited from prehistoric times — the plateau's red laterite soil preserves prehistoric sites including Ban Prasat, where Bronze Age burials with pottery and bronze ornaments have been excavated. The Khmer Empire (9th–15th centuries) built extensively across the Korat Plateau, with Phimai being one of its most important religious centres — the starting point of the Royal Road to Angkor, used by pilgrims, armies, and elephant trains. The Thai city of Nakhon Ratchasima was founded after the decline of Khmer power, and became strategically important as a fortres…