Thai silk industry featured in ‘Marhaba Thailand’

For two consecutive days this September, UAE residents and tourists shall have an experiential taste of Thailand in the capital, courtesy of the Royal Thai Embassy-Abu Dhabi.

This is the “Marhaba Thailand” which shall be held at the Main Atrium of Reem Mall, beginning 5pm on Sept.11 (Friday).

Through it, the community shall also have the chance to immerse into the Thai silk history, contemporariness, and industry, by way of Thailand’s own artificial intelligence (AI) adeptness.

“With ‘Marhaba Thailand,’ we want to bring a little of Thailand to Abu Dhabi. Not just to show people our culture, but to let them experience it hands-on and enjoy it,” said Thailand Ambassador to the UAE Bolbongse Vangphaen on Saturday.

Vangphaen presented his Letters of Credence before His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi on April 16, 2026 at the Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi.

Thai silk is more than a beautiful fabric. It carries stories, traditions and generations of craftsmanship. At ‘Marhaba Thailand,’ visitors can discover this heritage while seeing how Thai silk continues to evolve through contemporary fashion, design and technology, including our AI experience that lets visitors see themselves in Thai silk.

Thai silk, internationally promoted by Bangkok’s Ministry of Culture, by way of the June 2, 2026-launched “15th Celebration of Silk, Thai Silk Road to the World 2026” and the “7th Next Big Silk Designer Contest 2026,” was recorded to have been discovered by archeologists between 1974 and 1975 among the ruins of Ban Chiang in Udon Thani Province, north of the kingdom.

Dating revealed that the Thai silk and weaving tools unearthed were 3,000 years old.

Meanwhile, according to the May 17, 2026-published “Thailand’s Clothing Market in 2026: From Ayutthaya Silk Global Factories” over the Aster of Asia website, “merchants from China, India and Persia paid in gold for Thai silk” woven by the villagers from the surrounding areas of the Ayutthaya Kingdom (1351-1767) in Central Thailand.

It was the late American businessman James Harrison Wilson Thompson who helped “systematise” the Thai silk production from 1945. He began exporting the merchandise to the fashion capitals of the world, upon the establishment of his company bearing his own name, in 1951.

Bangkok’s Government Public Relations Department recent press release stated that Thailand’s central administration is expanding the silk and sericulture industry “through research, technology and product development while promoting Thai silk in international markets” by way of the country’s 94 diplomatic and consular missions worldwide.

Expansion projects which include the organisation of communities-centred Silk Yarn Bank were discussed by Deputy Prime Minister and Higher Education/Science/Research and Innovation Minister Yodchanan Wongsawat, Deputy Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Watcharaphon Khaokham, and Department of Sericulture representatives.

On the “Marhaba Thailand,” UAE residents and visitors would learn more of Thailand by creating their own experiences because there is no single way to experience the country.

Other cultural adventures are Muay Thai workshops and the participative traditional Thai dances and contemporary Thai music to be led by Thai cultural practitioners and performers who have chosen the UAE as their second home.

Family-friendly workshops across ages are Thai Weaving, Batik-Making, Benjarong Painting, Thai Umbrella Painting as well as Fruits and Soaps Carving.

The idea is simple: Do not just take a photo of Thai culture. Make something yourself.

On the Thai demographics in the UAE, Thailand’s connection with the UAE is not only built through government and business. It is also built by the Thai people who live and work here every day. From chefs and hospitality professionals to engineers, wellness practitioners, entrepreneurs, and specialists who contribute across many sectors while bringing a little of Thai culture and hospitality into the everyday life in the UAE.