Bang Khun Thian is named after Khlong Bang Khun Thian, a
canal that flows through the area. The origin of the name "Bang Khun Thian" is unclear. It may have been distorted from the words "Bang Khun Thiam" or "Bang Khun Kwian", as the area was once a resting place for the
kwian (wagons) of travelers or caravans. Another theory suggests that it was named after a nobleman, "
Khun Thian" (ขุนเทียน), who oversaw the area and its surroundings. In the past, Bang Khun Thian covered a wide area extending to
Bangkok Bay (the upper
Gulf of Thailand). However, following the new zoning by the
Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) in 1989, Chom Thong became a separate district, and
Bang Khun Thian was incorporated into this newly established district.
Wat Sai floating market, originally located along
Khlong Dan or Khlong Sanam Chai, was a very popular and famous
floating market in the 1960s, promoted as a tourist destination by the government of Field Marshal
Sarit Thanarat. It has now completely closed. ==Geography==