Pattani is one of the southern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces - Narathivat, Yala and Songkhala (if something tells you about something). The relatively small Thai province covers a little more than 1000 square kilometers of the territory - to a greater extent this plane and lowlands, where agriculture developed, well, and coastal zones - Endless sandy beaches where the local population is engaged in fishing and breeding of omnipresent shrimp farms.
In lowlands, rice is grown, as well as various fruit and vegetable crops, as well as you can see the large squares of shrubs and meadows, on which domestic cattle will peacefully graze - Idyllic rural landscapes (although in general the landscape is not so diverse - infinite plantations, like everywhere south of Thailand).
The name "Pattani" according to one version is the Thai adaptation of the Malay word "patani", which means "this beach" on Javi, a dialect of the Malay language (in the standard Malay language, the name would sound like "Pantai Ini"). Another hypothesis displays the name of the province from the Sanskrit word "Pathini", which means "virgin nymph": pathhini - This is the name of the daughter of Merong Mahavangs, the founder of the Langkasuka Empire existed earlier.
In the past, Pattani Province was never Thai. Pattani for a long time was the center of the Malay Sultanate of Patani Darul Macrif. Later, since 1785, Pattani was under the control of Siam, the powerful and largest Thai state in Indochite. The province of Yala (Jala) and Narathivat (Menara) were originally parts of Pattani, but they were declared independent provinces within the framework of the territorial administrative reform and the creation of a single centralized state of Siam (which, by the way, existed until 1932). Now, as you can see, it is Thailand. But today's province's population is 88% of Muslims, ethnic malaitsa (although there is a fairly large Chinese community in Pattani in Pattani).
Thus, Pattani is one of the four provinces of Thailand, where most of the population is Malay Muslims. Local residents speak Javi, although many can speak in Thai. Pattan Malays are very similar in the ethnic and cultural sense at the Malaysers of Sultanate Kelantan in Malaysia (which is located close to the border with Thailand). Yes what to say is predominantly Muslim population of Pattani. As a rule, to a much greater degree and relates to themselves with their "cousins" living south of Malaysia and Malayts, rather than with long-distance relatives from Bangkok, for example. And those who come to Pattani from Malaysia are likely to agree with this.
By the way, this ethnic inconsistency led to a series of uprisings and wars, as Pattani constantly changed his "affection". The cruel independence of the province was supported by a strong status and the historical title of the "shopping city" - first they traded with the Chinese, then with Arabs, Portuguese, Dutch and British. In general, Pattani is one of the first districts of Thailand, where useful contacts with European merchants regularly passed.
Today in the area you can see little from a rich historical shopping past - except, a handful of Sino-Portuguese shops in the city of Pattani. A modern city with a population in more than 40,000 people stretched along both sides of the Pattani River is unlikely to be much interested in a random tourist. Although the exotic, of course, is - as in many southern Muslim cities, sheep and goats are quietly roaming along the streets.
The quietest and old part of the city Located on the eastern shores of Pattani River along Pattani Pirom and Rudee Road, while a newer part of the city with municipal buildings, a university and hospital is on the northern side of the river.
Yes, it sounds not as interesting, but in the province of Pattani, definitely, there is something to see and where to relax. For example, there are excellent beaches that can boast the wealth of coconut palms, pine trees and shrubs, characteristic of this area. And pure water. And what are the beautiful Sea landscapes ! In addition, on coastal waves you can do Surfing , and the tip of the peninsula is a guarded natural harbor with fishing boats, many of which are made in an old style called Korlae. And manually painted manually (there are centers of this ancient art in the province).
Pattani Parks - This is a lot of colors and very beautiful landscapes. And in Pattani is beautiful and one of the biggest Mosques In Thailand, which today is the center of religious ceremonies for Muslim citizens in the south of the country. The architecture of this mosque has some kind of similarity with the famous Taj Mahal in India. Naturally, this is not the only mosque in the area, there are also other mosques, cute and decent frames on your camera.
Shopping in Pattani. Also very competent: the province offers many interesting local goods, in particular, dry squids, fish chips, products from copper, baskets, fabrics, batik, etc. But with accommodation options In Pattani rather gloomy. They are very small, and they are all focused in the city of Pattani - it is not particularly necessary to choose (most popular, probably, C.s. Pattani Hotel).
Fortunately, Culinary scene of Pattani. Not so poor. In addition to the excellent night market in the city, there are pleasant restaurants on the river bank and several bars. Although, of course, also not so much, and everything is almost only in the city.
Thus, Pattani is definitely a rather entertaining direction for the tourist interested. Yes, not the most "tourist" in the usual sense of the word, yes, there are no incredible entertainment, water parks and other things, including for children, and some aspects of travel can strain a little. But nature and architecture of this province definitely deserves attention, as well as the traditions of the local population.