Saphan Han in Sampheng area has long been a famous and bustling trade area of the royal capital in the past since the reign of King Buddha Yot Fa Chulalok the Great (Rama I). Originally, Saphan Han was a bridge crossing Ong Ang Canal or Rop Krung Canal (the canal ring around the old city). The bridge was just a single plank for people crossing the canal. One side of the bridge was firmly fixed while the other side laid across the opposite side could be turned and allowed boats to pass through, and be moved back for people to cross the canal. It lived up to the name of “Saphan Han” which means turning or swing bridge in Thai.
Saphan Han had been renovated and modified several times and the most prominent modification was during the reign of King Mongkut (Rama IV). It has been rebuilt with steel structure and even wooden floor. Under the bridge, there was no iron wheels on the rail but it can be raised and moved to allow boats to pass through. In the reign of King Chulalongkorn the Great (Rama V), the bridge was again reconstructed, using the design of bridges in Italy, to be a more curved and wider corridor wooden bridge. Both sides of the bridge had small rooms or shophouses for rent and in the middle was a walkway. It was one of the most photographed bridges in Bangkok.
The area of Saphan Han or Saphan Lek (literally meaning “metal bridge”) was known by all as the large place for selling games, electronics, and toys, both legal and violating intellectual property law, in the country. Makeshift shophouses were built and encroached entirely over Ong Ang Canal and the bridge and water in the canal become dirty and polluted. At present, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has successfully reorganized and improved landscape of this area with the cooperation from vendors and hawkers who agreed to move out of the area and people living in communities also agreed to improve and renovate their housing and accommodation. All these made Saphan Han area become a beautiful landscape and conservative tourist attraction that can still maintain its traditional architecture and the atmosphere of historical community.
