Even though it was a gloomy day, we could still clearly see Songkhla's landscape from where we stood atop the ancient Fort No.9. Constructed out of stone to accommodate cannons, it is located on a plain that connects the foothill of Khao Noi and the southwestern town corner.
This ruin appears to be a mystical portal that transports visitors to the Ayutthaya period. Formerly known as Singora, the historic town was originally situated in the neighbourhood of Khao Daeng and functioned as a significant trading port on the shoreline of the Isthmus of Kra, bringing in marine merchants from Holland, Britain, France, Portugal, Persia, India and China. Sultan Sulaiman built a system of city walls, forts, city gates and watchtowers -- all made possible by the British -- to reinforce his army until he decided to proclaim independence from the Ayutthaya kingdom.
In 1687, the French engineer Monsieur de Lamare drew a map depicting Singora's urban layout, borders, Dutch settlement and sea route, before Sultan Sulaiman overthrew King Narai the Great and the town was relocated to the Laem Son area. Covering 2,460 rai, the network of archaic temples, ruined city walls and 14 forts is still visible, and it was added to the list of Ancient Monuments by the Department of Fine Arts in 1992. Just a short distance from the fortress, visitors may act like amateur archaeologists and explore the peak of Khao Noi, which is believed to be a significant holy site on the Sathing Phra Peninsula since the p.