Yala

Yala lies inland from Pattani, among the river valleys and wooded hills of the northern Malay Peninsula. It formed part of the Malay kingdom of Patani, whose coastal port connected the interior with traders from across Asia. Following Patani's defeat by Siam in 1808, the old kingdom was divided into smaller towns. Yala became one of these principalities, with its own ruler under Siamese authority.