Sala Sahathai Samakhom (ศาลาสหทัยสมาคม)

Name of a royal hall located within the compound of Phra Rachawang, i.e. the Grand Palace, in Bangkok (fig.). It was built during the reign of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) and opened in 1874 AD, initially as a museum, to keep the royal private antique collections. Later, it became a military club, and in 1905 it was used to house the National Library, until that was moved to Wat Mahathat Yuwaraja Rangsarit. Today, the building is used as a banquet hall by visiting dignitaries, who as guests of the Royal Palace, are accommodated in Boromphiman Palace (fig.). Originally, the columns on the outside formed a gallery or kind of hypostyle-veranda, around the building. The outer wall with its dark blue shutters was added later. It is located to the left of the main entrance to Wat Phra Kaew, opposite of the Pavilion of Regalia, Royal Decorations and Coins, and features on a Thai postage stamp issued in 2005 (fig.), to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the National Library of Thailand. See MAP. 回