Makkasan ( th, มักกะสัน, ) is the name of an intersection and the surrounding neighbourhood in Bangkok's Ratchathewi district. It is one of the 180 sub-districts in Bangkok. Makkasan Intersection is divided into two closely located intersections. One is the meeting point of Ratchaprarop Road, Chaturathit Road, Si Ayutthaya Road, and Soi Ratchaprarop 10 or Soi Mo Leng, and is known variously as Makkasan, Mo Leng or Ratchaprarop Intersection. The other is the intersection of Ratchaprarop Road and Nikhom Makkasan Road, named Nikhom Makkasan intersection. The area is considered one of the most prone to traffic jams in Bangkok, especially during

rush hour A rush hour (American English, British English) or peak hour (Australian English) is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice every weekday: on ...

. Makkasan is not far from major shopping districts and Bangkok's traffic centers, such as

Pratunam Pratunam, written as Pratu Nam ( th, ประตูน้ำ, ), is an intersection and neighborhood in Bangkok. It is located in Thanon Phaya Thai sub-district, Ratchathewi district. It is the intersection of Phetchaburi, Ratchadamri and Ratch ...

or Victory Monument.

Naming and history

The name of the intersection refers to the Makkasan people, who historically lived in the area. The Makkasan people are Muslims that migrated from

Sulawesi Sulawesi (), also known as Celebes (), is an island in Indonesia. One of the four Greater Sunda Islands, and the world's eleventh-largest island, it is situated east of Borneo, west of the Maluku Islands, and south of Mindanao and the Sulu Ar ...

, Indonesia to Siam in the

Ayutthaya period The Ayutthaya Kingdom (; th, อยุธยา, , IAST: or , ) was a Siamese kingdom that existed in Southeast Asia from 1351 to 1767, centered around the city of Ayutthaya, in Siam, or present-day Thailand. The Ayutthaya Kingdom is conside ...

towards the end of King Narai's reign, with the name "Makkasan" coming from the city of

Makassar Makassar (, mak, ᨆᨀᨔᨑ, Mangkasara’, ) is the capital of the Indonesian province of South Sulawesi. It is the largest city in the region of Eastern Indonesia and the country's fifth-largest urban center after Jakarta, Surabaya, Med ...

, now the provincial capital of

South Sulawesi South Sulawesi ( id, Sulawesi Selatan) is a province in the southern peninsula of Sulawesi. The Selayar Islands archipelago to the south of Sulawesi is also part of the province. The capital is Makassar. The province is bordered by Central Sula ...

. The Makkasan were known by the Siamese of the time as ''Khaek Makkasan'' (แขกมักกะสัน); the Thai word ''khaek'' literally means

guest Guest or The Guest may refer to: * A person who is given hospitality * Guest (surname), people with the surname ''Guest'' * USS ''Guest'' (DD-472), U.S. Navy ''Fletcher''-class destroyer 1942–1946 * Guest appearance, guest actor, guest star, e ...

and generally refers to non- Western foreigners (the term '' farang'' is used for Westerners), mostly Muslims, Hindus or Indians from the Middle East and the

Malay Peninsula The Malay Peninsula (Malay: ''Semenanjung Tanah Melayu'') is a peninsula in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area ...

. The records of Claude de Forbin, a

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

naval admiral who lived in Ayutthaya at the time, states that the Makkasan rebelled on July 14th, 1686 and were suppressed with harsh measures by the Ayutthaya rulers with the aid of foreign aristocrats such as Constantine Phaulkon. The incident was called " Makkasan Rebellion" (กบฏมักกะสัน, ขบถมักกะสัน). The appearance of the Makkasan was compared to Yakshas by the Siamese, giving rise to the Thai term ''yak makkasan'' ( ยักษ์มักกะสัน), meaning a cruel person. When King Phutthayotfa Chulalok (Rama I) established the Rattanakosin Kingdom in today's Bangkok in 1782, he allowed Makkasan people from Ayutthaya to settle in this area, leading to the area being named after them. Many places in the area also bear the name, such as Makkasan Station, the biggest rapid transit station on the Airport Rail Link, Makkasan railway station, a class 1 railway station which also includes a depot of the same name, Bueng Makkasan, a large artificial lake in the center of Bangkok built in 1931 by the

State Railway of Thailand The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) ( th, การรถไฟแห่งประเทศไทย, abbrev. รฟท., ) is the state-owned rail operator under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transport in Thailand. History The SRT was ...

(SRT), and the Makkasan Interchange, a part of the Chaloem Maha Nakhon Expressway and the Sirat Expressway.

Places

* Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) * Bangkok Doll Museum *Soi Ratchataphan (also known as Soi Mo Leng)

References

{{coord, 13, 45, 21.57, N, 100, 32, 32.64, E, display=title Neighbourhoods of Bangkok Ratchathewi district Road junctions in Bangkok Subdistricts of Bangkok