Bangkapi (บางกะปิ)

Thai. Name of a khet or district in eastern Bangkok. The name is a compound of the words bang and kapi. Whereas bang is the name used for any riverside settlement that often occurs in names of villages and districts, and in this case refers to its location along Khlong Saen Saeb (fig.), a canal that connects the capital with the Bang Pakong River (fig.) in Chachengsao, the name kapi is up for dispute. According to some the name kapi derives from the local production of kapi (กะปิ), a salty paste made from pulverized marine shrimps that are fermented in salt and used as an ingredient to flavour food, and the main ingredient in a dish known as khao kluk kapi (fig.). They believe the area was previously known for this. However, some inhabitants of this district with a large Muslim community claim the name is an abbreviation of kapioh (กะปิเยาะห์), the religious brimless hat worn by Muslims (fig.). And yet another source believes the name kapi (กะปิ), with the short vowel a, is a corruption of the word kapi (กปิ), which has the unwritten vowel a and is also spelled kabi (กบิ) and kabih (กบี่), and means ‘monkey’, saying the area in the past was home to lots of monkeys living in the wild. Some of the places of interest in Bangkapi include The Mall Bangkapi, Bangkapi Fresh Market (fig.), Saen Saeb Walkway-Biking Path (fig.), Plaeng Nah Sathit (fig.), Bangkok Airport Link (fig.), Suan Son Erawan Statue (fig.), Wat Sri Boon Reuang (fig.), an Airplane Graveyard (fig.), the Prasat Museum (fig.), Ramkhamhaeng University (fig.), Rajamangala National Stadium (fig.), the Krihtha Krung Thep Sports Club or Samohson Krung Thep Krihtah (fig.), Sahn Chao Mae Pra Sop (fig.), Sahn Chao Pho Peung Thao Kong (fig.), Wat Theplihla (fig.), and the Toy Museum, which sadly closed permanently when the Covid pandemic hit Thailand. WATCH VIDEO. 回