Wat Chaiwatthanaram: Faces of Conservation

The seventeenth-century Buddhist temple of Wat Chaiwatthanaram in Ayutthaya, Thailand, is considered the structure most emblematic of Buddhism’s influence on Thai society.

Wat Chaiwatthanaram was deserted, looted, and damaged by floods when World Monuments Fund began conservation work at the site in 2011, in partnership with the Fine Arts Department of Thailand. These efforts include the training and hiring of local technicians and conservators who restore and maintain this iconic structure.

In early 2017, Egyptian photographer Boulos Isaac visited Wat Chaiwatthanaram to capture the project’s talented Thai conservators and masonry technicians. Click through to discover who they are and what they do.