Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre researcher Panita Sarawasee said the museum study had dated the Ayutthaya Museum as the country's oldest. It was established during the reign of King Rama V to preserve artistic and cultural treasures, and has been used as a model for others since.

The ministry's database comprises 927 museums. It includes those at temples and education institutes and district and local museums. Local cultural centres and exhibitions halls are also listed, Panita said.

The study found temples were popular homes for museums because of their importance in communities. They are places people think of when finding artefacts, as well as valuable and strange objects.

Many devout Buddhists donate art and handicrafts to temples with museums attached, she said, naming Nakhon Pathom's Phra Pathom Jedi Museum, Lamphun's Phra That Hariphuchai Museum, Surat Thani's Phra Boromathatchaiya, Phitsanulok's Phra Puthachinaraj Museum and Sing Buri's Wat Bot Museum.

The Education Ministry's National Culture Commission looks after more than 40 local museums at cultural exhibition halls. They are built as learning and cultural centres for local communities.

They include the Wat Sri Khomkam Cultural Hall in Phayao and the Mekong River Basin Cultural Exhibition Hall in Nakhon Phanom.

The commission has an integrated Thai Culture and Community Relationship Centre that works with museums. It will be expanded to work with all districts and tambon, she said. This will mean more local museums in the future.

Panita added that many museums were lifelong learning centres initiated by communities and run independently by them. Others were built by state agencies and funded by the government.

Culture Minister Khunying Khaisri Sri-aroon said there had been several studies of museums by the anthropology centre and the culture commission.

However, information had not been widely shared, she said.