Mosques and Muslim community in Minburi, Bangkok

We visited the leader of the Soh man community. 

Khun Peerapong on the left and, Khun Charoen ,on the right  who is the owner of the boat.

Along Khlong San sap, around Minburi and Nong chok. It is the residential area for the Muslim communities. In this area, there are Buddhist temples, Mosques and the Catholic Church. Though there are 3 religious but it is one of the peaceful area. People in this area are doing hard work to keep the canal clean. They are awarded as the best community to keep Khlong Sansap in such a good condition. You can even swim in this canal.

Below picture shows the Mosque Kamalul Islam.

 Almost 200 years ago, Muslim people who resided in this area immigrated from the south of Thailand. Their main career was farmer.  When the King Rama the fifth visited this mosque, the mosque was just a small wooden house. There was the big pile of sand on the ground.  The king asked "what this pile of sand is for?" The local answered that it was meant for the building of the mosque.

Since then, The king has given the name to this mosque as “sulao saai gong din”. Sulao means mosque in Thai. Saai means sand. Gong din means piling on the ground. Altogether, directly translated as the mosque that has the big pile of sand on the ground.

There are about 2000 families in this community which accounted about 20000 people.

Baan koh mosque is one of the biggest dome mosque in Thailand. Every weekend at this mosque, there is the Baan koh floating market. There are Muslim restaurants, local Muslim goods and services. Sometimes they have the performance show on the stage by the little Muslim students.

Muslim women group prepared and sold the famous ROTI!

Roti is a kind of Muslim snack. It is the flour fried with butter and topping it with condensed milk and sugar. Sometimes, you can add banana or egg if you like.

The Eastern Venice tour, Khlong Sansap canal

Khlong San Sap canal

Today, off the beaten paths traveling in Bangkok. We got on the boat and float along the Khlong San sap canal.

There are 3 stories behind the name of this canal,

1. According to the British explorer, this canal was full of mosquitoes, whenever the locals went they had to always use one hand to wave and push away the mosquitoes. San sap means painful. That was why this canal is called the painful canal.
2. San-sap is the borrowed words from Khmer language.In the old days Thai people call sea as “See or Saee”, and fresh water is called “ Saab”. So canal is similar to fresh water sea to the local in those days so they called is See-Saab, and by times passed, it turned out to be "San sap"
3. or Another story, San-sap, may be distorted from the Malaya language called “San-Yap”. It is the calling name by the Muslim community means peaceful due to the slow water stream.

Khlong san-sap was a man made dug canal built in 1837. The purpose was to have its canal joint with the chao phraya river and the Bang pakong river. Before, it was used as the strategic military supply waterway route to Vietnam.

Because San-sap is one of the main canal for the transportation between Chaoprayaa and Baangpakong. Therefore, there are many khlong sois that were dug as well.

Pictures below show the life along the Khlong San sap canal.

Gin or trawl, Thai folk wisdom fishing equipment. Seen along the Khlong San sap canal.

Old style wooden bridge since 200 years ago.

We stopped by at Khuu market. Khuu means bended and not straight. This market was called according to the shape of the canal. In the old days, Khuu market was very crowded. People pull the trolley along this market. Rice, fruits, vegetables were traded here. The market ran whole night long. Nowadays, there are only Traditional Thai pharmacy shop that is still running, couple of grocery stores. Others are closing down or stopping the business as the business owners get older.

A traditional Thai pharmacy shop. The owner of this pharmacy is the father of the lady in the picture. he is currently hold the age of 104 years old.

On the Khuu market, we met a group of the muslim kids dressing in the colorful traditional long pants style.

Usually, Sansap canal is very well known for poor water quality. However, the community in this area was awarded as the best community who take good care of Khlong Sansap.  You may not believe but here is the proof. A practicing pool for the school kids. The water in the pool is from the Khlong Sansap canal.

Now the boat was turning to small Khlong soi. We were riding toward the villager's plantation and goat farm.

 The Muslims in this area are doing the agriculture and practice the concept of self sufficient economy. The plantation in this area is organic. There are Banana, mango, organic vegetables etc...Also there is the goat farm as well.

At the end of the canal, situated Baan koh mosque, it is the biggest dome mosque in Thailand.

Baan koh mosque bridge to the organic plantation.

A Muslim plantation owner, showed us how to use phaa khaw maa in many different ways and purposes. You can use this cloth to protect your head from the sun, for the waist belt and over the shoulder to carry the meal or any items.

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