Description
The Khmer Bridge, known as Saphan Khom (สะพานขอมสกลนคร), is an ancient historical site near the center of Sakon Nakhon city. It is located about 150 meters opposite the Sakhon Nakhon Gate. The bridge is made of laterite (a red rock rich in iron). It is the only such ancient Khmer structure in Thailand, as other Khmer era bridges were made of wood and decayed over time.
Saphan Khom is also sometimes called Saphan Hin (สะพานหิน), meaning stone bridge. It is believed to have been built during the reign of Jayavarman VII (1125-1218), just like the stone bridge in Angkor Thom. Stone bridges built during that era were likely also used as irrigation dams. And it is believed that a river used to flow below the bridge.
According to historians, Sakon Nakhon was founded during the 11th century by the Khmer kingdom, who called the area Mueang Nong Han Luang. The Lao Kingdom later defeated the Khmer to become rulers of the area, before it eventually came under the control of the Kingdom of Siam.
When major roads were being built in Sakon Nakhon, the Khmer bridge was covered over. However, it was later recognized as a cultural heritage, historical site, so the bridge was unearthed and restored by the Fine Arts Department, using photographs from the early 1900s.
In front of the bridge is a 100 million year old fossilized tree stump, and the entire area has been made into a kind of amphitheater with concrete steps on either side. Other Khmer ruins besides Saphan Khom, include Phra That Phu Pek (about 30 minutes away) and Phrathat Narai Chen Weng (near Sakon Nakhon Rajabhat University).
