The oldest known mention of their existence in the region by the exonym Siamese is in a 12th-century A.D. inscription at the Khmer temple complex of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, which refers to syam, or "dark brown", people. It was believed that Siam derived from the Sanskrit word syam, or "brown race", with a contemptuous signification. Sien in Chinese writings is the name for the northern kingdom that centered on Sukhothai and Sawankalok; but to the Siamese themselves, the name of the country has always been Mueang Thai.