The Chiang Mai provincial government has told relevant authorities to expedite work to restore the brick wall of the ancient Xuan Dok gate to prevent it from collapsing, as local residents expressed concern about a large crack in the wall.
The Governor of Chiang Mai, Nirat Pongsittilavorn, has ordered Muang Chiang Mai Municipality to cooperate with the 7th Department of Arts Restoration to expedite the restoration of Suan Dok Gate.
The arts department has drawn up a plan to restore the gate, but work needs to be accelerated as locals fear the wall could collapse on the road at Sriphum tambon in Muang district.
On the north side of the gate there is a vertical crack two meters long. The gap in the crack is so large that people can see through it to the other side of the wall. Local residents are afraid that the wall will collapse on the road that runs along it.
Last year, after heavy rains, the gates of Chang Fuak collapsed.
Terdsak Enjura, director of the ancient ruins of the 7th Department of Arts, said his organization always inspects the ancient monuments in Chiang Mai and is confident that the crack will not cause the wall to collapse. He said his team noticed the crack last year and concluded it was harmless. The wall is supported by a mound of earth that will prevent it from collapsing, he added.
Suan Dok is one of the five ancient gates in Chiang Mai built during the reign of King Mengrai in 1296. In 1818 the ancient gates and walls were restored. This gate in Chiang Mai was registered as a National Historic Landmark in 1935.
