The King Ram Khamhaeng Inscription
Documentary heritage submitted by Thailand and recommended for inclusion in the Memory of the World Register in 2003.
© The National Museum Bangkok
stele of King Ram Khamhaeng
The King Ram Khamhaeng Inscription (RK) of 1292 A.D. is considered a major documentary heritage of world significance because it gives valuable information on several major themes of world history and culture. It not only records the invention of Thai language scripts that are the foundation of the modern scripts used in Thailand by 60 million people, its rare detailed description of the 13th century Thai state of Sukhothai also reflects universal values shared by many states in the world today. Those values include good governance, the rule of law, economic freedom, and religious morality, in this case Buddhism, one of the world's major religions. The inscription's value as a historical document has already been evident when it was used to support Thailand's successful proposal to inscribe the Historic Town of Sukhothai and Associated Historic Towns on the World Heritage List in 1991.