Old Luang Prabang

Long bypassed by travellers to other parts of South-East Asia, Laos has begun to attract the attention of visitors. This book is designed for travellers and readers who want an introduction to Laos's historical and beautiful city, Luang Prabang.

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Old Luang Prabang provides a vivid description of the history, geography, and culture of the ancient royal capital of Laos. It explores the intimate relationship between Laos royalty, mythology, religion, and ritual that generated the city's numerous architectural treasures and projected the city's royal status into the democratic period. Even in the last decade of the twentieth century, when South-East Asia has become a major focus of foreign interest, Luang Prabang remains remote, pristine, and detached from the modern world, a city whose royal identity rests as much on myth and time-honoured ritual as recorded history. Written for the general reader, the book is nonetheless meticulously researched. It is beautifully illustrated with paintings, drawings, and photographs of Luang Prabang.