Angkor
 | Angkor viewed from space |
|  | The Bayon temple at Angkor Thom |
|
Angkor was the site of a series of capital cities of the
Khmer empire for much of the period from the
9th century to the
15th century CE. Their ruins (13°24'N, 103°51'E) are located amid forests and farmland to the north of the Great Lake (
Tonle Sap), near present day
Siem Reap,
Cambodia, and are a
UNESCO World Heritage Site. The temples of the Angkor area number over one thousand, ranging in scale from nondescript piles of brick rubble scattered through rice fields to the magnificent
Angkor Wat, said to be the world's largest single religious monument. Many of the temples at Angkor have been restored, and together they comprise the premier collection of examples of
Khmer architecture. Visitor numbers approach one million annually.
Main article: Khmer empire
.
Over a period of 300 years, between
900 and
1200 AD, the
Khmer empire produced some of the world's most magnificent architectural masterpieces on the northern shore of the
Tonle Sap, near the present town of
Siem Reap. Most are concentrated in an area approximately 15 miles east to west and 5 miles north to south, although the Angkor Archaeological Park which administers the area includes sites as far away as
Kbal Spean, about 30 miles to the north. Some 72 major temples or other buildings dot the area.
The principal temple,
Angkor Wat, was built between
1112 and
1150 by
Suryavarman II. With walls nearly one-half mile on each side, Angkor Wat portrays the
Hindu cosmology with the central towers representing
Mount Meru, home of the gods; the outer walls, the mountains enclosing the world; and the moat, the oceans beyond. The later capital of
Angkor Thom, built after the Cham sack of
1177, has at its centre the
Bayon. Construction of Angkor Thom coincided with a change from
Hinduism to
Mahayana Buddhism. Temples were altered to display images of the
Buddha, and Angkor Wat briefly became a Buddhist shrine. A subsequent Hindu revival included a large-scale campaign of desecration of Buddhist images, before
Theravada Buddhism became established from the
14th century.
During the
15th century, nearly all of Angkor was abandoned after Siamese attacks, except Angkor Wat, which remained a shrine for Buddhist
pilgrims. The great city and temples remained largely cloaked by the forest until the late
19th century when French archaeologists began a long restoration process. From
1907 to
1970 restoration of Angkor was under the direction of the Ecole Française d'Extrême-Orient, which worked to clear away the forest, repair foundations, and install drains to protect the buildings from water damage. After the end of the civil war, work began again, and since
1993 it has been jointly co-ordinated by the French,
Japanese and UNESCO through the International Co-ordinating Committee on the Safeguarding and Development of the Historic Site of Angkor (ICC), while Cambodian work is carried out by the Authority for the Protection and Management of Angkor and the Region of Siem Reap (APSARA), created in
1995. Some temples have been carefully taken apart stone by stone and reassembled on concrete foundations. Since the end of the civil war, international tourism to Angkor has increased, posing additional conservation problems but also financial assistance to the restoration projects.
2001 saw the release of the movie
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, filmed on location at various Angkor sites. Wong Kar-wai's
In the Mood for Love, also incorporated scenes filmed at Angkor.
The area covers many significant archaeological sites, including:
*
Angkor Thom*
Angkor Wat*
Baksei Chamkrong*
Banteay Kdei*
Banteay Samré*
Banteay Srei*
Baphuon* the
Bayon*
Chau Say Tevoda*
East Baray*
East Mebon*
Kbal Spean* the
Khleangs*
Krol Ko*
Lolei*
Neak Pean*
Phimeanakas*
Phnom Bakheng*
Phnom Krom*
Prasat Ak Yum*
Prasat Kravan*
Preah Khan*
Preah Ko*
Preah Palilay*
Preah Pithu*
Pre Rup*
Spean Thma*
Srah Srang*
Ta Prohm*
Ta Som*
Ta Keo*
Terrace of the Elephants*
Terrace of the Leper King*
Thommanon*
West Baray*
West Mebon*
Architecture of Cambodia* Freeman, Michael and Jacques, Claude.
Ancient Angkor. River Books,
1999. ISBN 0834804263.
* Audric, John.
Angkor and The Khmer Empire,
1972*
National Review: In Pol Pot Land: Ruins of varying types Sept 29, 2003.
*
UNESCO: International Programme for the Preservation of Angkor Accessed 17 May 2005.
*
Yellow Pages Cambodia 3D Map Virtual 3D Tour of the Angkor temples
*
The New Tomb Raiders Article discussing the rising pressure from tourism by Roderick Eime
*
Google Maps Map centered on
Angkor Wat, with the
Tonle Sap at the bottom.
*
Greater Angkor Project International research project investigating the settlement context of the temples at Angkor
*
www.theangkorguide.com Illustrated online guide to Angkor with plans and maps.
*
Angkor Travel Guide Travel Guide with detailed temple descriptions, maps, photos, and background information.
