Some archeologists claim that Krabi City is one of the older
settlements in the country as there is archaeological evidence
indicating that this area had been home to homosapiens during
the prehistoric times or between 25,000 - 35,000 B. C. The assumption
has been strongly supported by the discovery of stone tools, ancient
colored pictures, beads, pottery and skeletal remains in the provinces
cliffs and caves.
In 1200 A.D., the area was known as Ban Thai Samo, one of 12
royal cities that had a monkey as the town symbol. During this
period of time, Krabi was under the rule of the Kingdom of Ligor,
a city better known today as Nakhon Si Thammarat.
During the reign of King Rama V (1868-1910), the community was
known as Pakasai Sub-county and remained under the direct jurisdiction
of Nakhon Si Thammarat province.
Around 1872, King Rama V elevated Pakasai Sub-county to Krabi
Province with the provincial administration office situated at
Krabi-yai Sub-county (currently, the office is located near the
estuary at Pak Nam Sub-district) and in 1875, ordered the separation
of Krabi Province from Nakhon Si Thammarat Province.
During the present reign, the corps of civil servants, merchants,
and the people of Krabi and nearby provinces have collectively
organized the construction of a royal residence at Laem Hang Nak
Cape which is thirty kilometers west of Krabi Town on the Andaman
coast to be presented to His Majesty the King.
There are two legends concerning the origin of the name "Krabi".
The first is that villagers presented a large ancient sword (or
krabi) that was discovered by chance to the governor. Later when
a smaller, on discovering a smaller one, it was also presented
to the governor. Regarded as sacred and auspicious, the governor
decided to keep them in the province. As the process for the establishment
of the province was still in progress, the swords were placed
crossing each other in Khao Khanap Nam cave. Since then, the crossed
swords have remained a part of the provincial seal.
The second legend is that "Krabi" was derived from
the name of a local tree known as "Lumphi". The Malay
and Chinese merchants mispronunciation of the name to "Ka-lu-bi"
or "Kho-lo-bi" finally resulted in "Krabi"
(or sword).
