3110WatAnong1This part of Klong San has two mosques,Goowatin and Saifee. The one shown here isthe first, which is a Sunni mosque. The other,which is within walking distance, belongs toShia Muslims. Goowatin welcomes respectfulvisitors no matter what religion, while theother, I was told, is not so open. Goowatin wasbuilt in 1859 under the order of Somdet ChaoPhraya Borom Maha Pichaiyat (Tat Bunnag), oneof Siam’s top government official during thereign of King Rama IV. He was a Buddhist withMuslim ancestors. With the mosque, Muslimimmigrants who settled down in the area nolonger had to travel far to perform religiousrites. Next to the riverside mosque is the houseof early members of the Nana family, whichdonated part of their land for the establishmentof the Princess Mother Memorial Park.