Nakhon Si Thammarat is a large province in the Malay Peninsula of southern Thailand, with a mountainous interior and a coastline fringing the Gulf of Thailand. In the north, Ao Khanom Bay features several beaches and a quiet fishing town. The sprawling Buddhist Wat Phra Mahathat temple, with its huge bell-shaped stupa, is one of many ancient and religious sites in the capital city, Nakhon Si Thammarat.