Samran Rat


Samran Rat, popularly known as Pratu Phi, is a historic neighbourhood and road junction in Bangkok. The neighbourhood roughly occupies the area of its namesake subdistrict in Phra Nakhon district. Samran Rat Intersetion is the junction of Bamrung Mueang and Maha Chai roads. From the intersection, Bamrung Mueang road crosses the nearby Sommot Amonmak bridge into Pom Prap Sattru Phai district's Ban Bat subdistrict. The next junction on Bamrung Mueang is Maen Si.

History

The name Pratu Phi means "ghost's gate", because the area used to be the location of the city gate used to transport dead bodies out of the fortified city for cremation during the early Rattanakosin period. Cremations were usually held at the nearby Wat Saket, just across the city moat of Khlong Rop Krung. The area was later officially named Samran Rat for auspiciousness. But the name Pratu Phi remains in use by many people.
In modern times, Samran Rat is known as the hub of notable restaurants, serving a variety of Thai and street food such as pad thai and yen ta fo, with multiple traditional cafés located in the area. The neighbourhood's better known restaurants include Jay Fai, which received one Michelin Guide star in 2017, and Thipsamai, which specializes in pad thai.
Samran Rat is also home to the first pawn shop in Thailand. It has been operating since the reign of King Rama IV.
At the behind of the Mahakan Fort, one of the fortresses of Rattanakosin. It is the site of a Mahakan Fort Community where people in this community lived for a long time since the early Rattanakosin period. They are considered one of the oldest and most unique communities in Bangkok. But in the year 2018 their houses were ordered by the government and Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to demolish and expel them from here, because to open the way to create a new urban park of Bangkok.

Nearby landmarks