Dan Kwian Pottery Village, Korat
A village that has worked the same iron-rich clay for centuries, producing rust-brown unglazed pottery.
Dan Kwian Pottery Village, Korat
Dan Kwian lies about fifteen kilometres south of Nakhon Ratchasima on the old ox-cart route - the name means cart checkpoint - and has been a pottery village for centuries. Its distinguishing material is the local clay from the Mun river bank, which is heavy with iron and fires without glaze to a hard, rough rust-brown that no other Thai pottery has.
Workshops run the length of the village road, and much of the process is visible from the street: throwing, the pierced and carved decoration the village is known for, and the wood-fired kilns. The range runs from water jars and garden pots to large perforated screens and modern sculptural work.
It is a working craft village rather than a museum, and prices are set at the kiln. It is an easy detour on the road south from Korat.
- The Thao Suranari Monument, Korat — The bronze statue of Ya Mo at the old city gate - the most venerated figure in Nakhon Ratchasima.
- Wat Ban Rai, Nakhon Ratchasima — A temple built as a giant naga standing in a lake, its surface covered in millions of ceramic tiles.
- Phimai Historical Park, Nakhon Ratchasima — One of the largest Khmer temples in Thailand, and a probable model for Angkor Wat.
