Chatuchak weekend market
Encyclopedia
| Chatuchak Weekend Market | |||
| Part of the massive market with the clock tower shown in the middle. |
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| Market name: | Chatuchak Weekend Market | ||
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| Location: | Kamphaeng Phet 2 Road, Chatuchak Chatuchak Chatuchak usually refers to Chatuchak Weekend Market in Bangkok, Thailand, but it may be used to refer to various places around the area:* Chatuchak Park, a public park just north of Chatuchak Weekend Market.... , Bangkok Bangkok Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom... , Thailand Thailand Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the... |
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| Opening date: | 1982 | ||
| Developer: | BMA Weekend Market | ||
| Manager: | BMA Weekend Market | ||
| Owner: | BMA Weekend Market | ||
| Number of stores: | 15,000 | ||
| Number of sections: | 27 | ||
| Parking: | Park & Ride | ||
Chatuchak (or Jatujak; ) weekend market in Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
is the largest market
Market
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. Frequently called J.J., it covers over 35 acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s (1.13 km²) and contains upwards of 5,000 stalls. It is estimated that the market receives 200,000 visitors each day. Most stalls only open on Saturdays and Sundays though Jatujak Plaza, the western section is open daily. In the north west corner is the J.J. Mall, with three floors of assorted oddments as well as eateries.
The market offers a wide variety of products including household items, clothing, Thai handicrafts, religious artifacts, collectible
Collectible
A collectable or collectible is any object regarded as being of value or interest to a collector . There are numerous types of collectables and terms to denote those types. An antique is a collectable that is old...
s, foods, and live animals. For tourists, there are a number of onsite companies who will send purchases abroad.
History
Chatuchak Market owes its origin to Field Marshal Plaek Phibulsongkram, the late prime minister of ThailandPrime Minister of Thailand
The Prime Minister of Thailand is the head of government of Thailand. The Prime Minister is also the chairman of the Cabinet of Thailand. The post has existed since the Revolution of 1932, when the country became a constitutional monarchy....
(1938–1944, 1948–1957), who came up with the idea of setting up a flea market in every town. As a result, the first flea market in Bangkok was held at Sanam Luang
Sanam Luang
Sanam Luang is an open field and public square in front of Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace, Bangkok, Thailand. Sanam Luang is located in the Phra Nakhon district, the historic center of Bangkok....
and was called Sanam Luang flea Market. However, there was time when the place was needed for other special functions and the flea market was then relocated to Saranrom Palace and settled there for 8 years. After that, it was moved again to Sanam Chai. But because of the limited space, it had to be moved back to Sanam Luang. In the same year, the government issued a policy to turn Sanam Luang into a public park for citizens of Bangkok and to be the venue to celebrate 200-year-anniversary of Bangkok, which would be held in 1982. Thus, it was decided that the flea market would be held at the Phahonyothin area
Phahonyothin highway
Phahonyothin Road or Thailand Route 1 is a major road in Bangkok, as well as one of the four major highways in Thailand, along with Mittraphap Road , Sukhumvit Road , and Phetkasem Road...
from then on and it is later called Chatuchak Market after the nearby park
Chatuchak Park
Chatuchak Park is the name of a public park in Chatuchak district, Bangkok, Thailand. It is also the name of the Bangkok Metro station that lies under the park....
under the same name. Until about 1995 the walkways were open to the sky and also to the rain. They then covered the walkways which stopped the rain in the rainy season, but also made the walkways hotter than before.
In recent years the market has gained considerable notice among conservationists and the World Wildlife Fund; Chatuchak has become a notorious hub for trafficking illegal and endangered species, notably in the north west corner of the market which is all but isolated from the rest of the market. This activity was covered on CNN's "Planet in Peril" series. Despite publicity, Thai law is rarely able to pursue a course of action in preventing the illegal trade as it would just go underground elsewhere.
Location
Chatuchak market is adjacent to the Kamphaengphet station of the MRTBangkok Metro
The MRT , sometimes referred to as the Bangkok Metro, is Bangkok's underground metro system in Thailand. It was constructed under a concession concept...
, or about a 5-minute walk from the Mo Chit station of the BTS Skytrain and another MRT station, Suan Chatuchak (Chatuchak Park)
Chatuchak Park
Chatuchak Park is the name of a public park in Chatuchak district, Bangkok, Thailand. It is also the name of the Bangkok Metro station that lies under the park....
.
Smoking ban
In June 2008 the Chatuchak Market authorities introduced a complete smoking banSmoking ban
Smoking bans are public policies, including criminal laws and occupational safety and health regulations, which prohibit tobacco smoking in workplaces and/or other public spaces...
for the whole market, with a fine of 2,000 baht for offenders.
Nearby attractions
- Chatuchak ParkChatuchak ParkChatuchak Park is the name of a public park in Chatuchak district, Bangkok, Thailand. It is also the name of the Bangkok Metro station that lies under the park....
- Children's Discovery MuseumChildren's museumChildren's museums are institutions that provide exhibits and programs to stimulate informal learning experiences for children. In contrast with traditional museums that typically have a hands-off policy regarding exhibits, children's museums feature interactive exhibits that are designed to be...
- Jatujak Day & Night
- JJ MallJJ MallJ.J Mall is a large air-conditioned shopping complex which is situated in the heart of Chatuchak district, Bangkok, Thailand.The shopping complex is located next to the weekend market...
- Khet Chatuchak (Chatuchak Plaza)
- Queen Sirikit ParkQueen Sirikit ParkQueen Sirikit Park is a botanical garden in Chatuchak district, Bangkok, Thailand. Covering an area of 0.22 km², it is part of the larger Chatuchak Park complex. It was built in 1992 and named after Queen Sirikit to celebrate her 60th birthday...
- Railway of Thailand Museum
External links
- Jatujak Interactive Map - an online map that helps users find shops in the market with the Search button
- Jatujak Market Shopping Directory - an online shopping directory about Jatujak Market
- Information about the Chatuchak market - Chatuchak.org guide you to shopping along both side of passage of estimate 15,000 stalls