Thailand Guide
The north
Sbun-Nga Textile Museum
Opening time: Thurs-Tues 10.30am–6pm
Price: B100
Address: Old Chiangmai Cultural Centre, Thanon Wualai
Website: www.sbun-nga.com
Anyone with at least a passing interest in textiles and the great weaving traditions of northern Thailand should make time for the Sbun-Nga Textile Museum. Here over a thousand ancient and rare textiles are lovingly displayed and informatively labelled in English, classified according to which sub-group of Thais and which geographical area they come from. Thus you'll find among the patterns of the Thai Lue, who migrated from Sipsong Panna in southern China to various parts of northern Thailand, the brightly coloured and very intricate lai nam lai or "flowing water" design, signifying those who resettled by the Mekong River. Other highlights include a very beautiful royal headdress of the Thai Lao, who have migrated mainly from northeast Laos in the last two hundred years and are considered to have among the most sophisticated weaving techniques and designs in the world, and the swirling coronation dress of a Thai Yai crown prince, decorated with gems and precious metals.