Founded in 1350 in the valley of the Chao Phraya River by King Uthong and proclaimed the capital of the Ayutthaya kingdom or Siam, Ayutthaya reached around 1700 CE a population of 1,000,000, making it one of the world's largest cities at that time. Unfortunately in 1767 was destroyed by the Burmese army, resulting in the collapse of the kingdom. The ruins of the old city, characterised by the prang (reliquary towers) and gigantic monasteries, give an idea of the city's past splendour, and are preserved in the Ayutthaya historical park.