National Museum, Songkhla, Songkhla Province.

The Songkhla National Museum building was originally built in 1878 and was the residence of the deputy governor of Songkhla, Phraya Suntharanuraksa. It was built in the Southern Thai-Chinese architectural style. The name Songkhla is actually the Thai corruption of Singgora; its original name means 'the city of lions' in Malay. This refers to a lion-shaped mountain near the city of Songkhla. Songkhla was the seat of an old Malay Kingdom with heavy Srivijayan influence. In ancient times (200 AD - 1400 AD), Songkhla formed the northern extremity of the Malay Kingdom of Langkasuka. The city-state then became a tributary of Nakhon Si Thammarat, suffering damage during several attempts to gain independence. (Photo by: David Henley/Pictures From History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)