Sema and Korat : Ancient Khmer Twin Cities near Sung Noen
Sema and Korat : Ancient Khmer Twin Cities
About 30 km west of Korat (Nakhon Ratchasima) near the town of Sung Noen, lie the scattered ruins of two ancient cities: Sema (Muang Sema) and the precursor settlement of Korat itself, known in antiquity as Khorakha Pura or Nakhon Raj. Both were important centres of the Khmer empire between the 9th and 13th centuries, strategic nodes on the road between Angkor and the Khorat Plateau.
The Prasat Sites
Three principal prasat (sanctuary) ruins survive in the area:
Prasat Non Ku is the best preserved of the three, a laterite sanctuary tower with carved lintels still in place, sitting on a low mound in paddy fields. The site is rarely visited and there is no entrance fee, making it one of the most atmospheric minor Khmer ruins in the province.
Prasat Muang Khaek and Prasat Muang Kao are more fragmentary, with foundation stones and scattered laterite blocks indicating the extent of the original structures. Boundary stones (sema stones, from which the settlement takes its name) mark the consecrated ground around these sites, these octagonal sandstone slabs are characteristic of the Mon-Dvaravati and early Khmer period in Northeast Thailand.
Muang Sema : The Ancient City
Little is left of the ancient city of Sema above ground. The outline of the moat system is still faintly traceable, and an old canal connecting it to the water system east of Sung Noen can be seen from the road. Archaeologists from Silpakorn University have excavated sections of the city wall and recovered ceramics, bronze objects, and structural remains consistent with an 8th-13th century occupation.
The city’s abandonment coincided with the decline of Khmer power in the region. In the 17th century, King Narai consolidated the remaining population into the present-day city of Nakhon Ratchasima, effectively ending Sema’s history as a settlement.
Getting There
Take Highway 2 west from Korat toward Pak Chong; turn off toward Sung Noen and ask locally for Prasat Non Ku or Muang Sema. A motorbike or private car is the only practical transport. No public buses serve the sites directly. Best combined with a visit to Prasat Phanom Wan (east of Korat) for a full day of Khmer ruins around Nakhon Ratchasima.
