The famous Temples of Angkor are Cambodia's biggest tourist
attraction. Situated close to the town of Siem Reap, the former
capital and heart of the ancient Khmer Empire was built between the
9th and 13th centuries, and in an area of over 232 square miles
(600 sq km) more than 100 temples have been uncovered. Today they
stand as a monument to what was the greatest ancient civilisation
in South East Asia. The kings of the period built stone temples as
a way of asserting their divinity and cities were created around
them. Today it is the temples that remain, a mere sacred skeleton
of what must have been one of the biggest cities of its time.
The best-known site is Angkor Wat, the spectacular Hindu temple
surrounded by a moat and the biggest monument ever built to
religion. Covering an area of 81 hectares (200 acres) the splendour
and enormous dimension of the complex make it one of the wonders of
the world. The walls of the outer gallery are a sculptural
treasury, one mile (2km) of intricately carved bas-reliefs. Another
of the well-known sites is the walled Royal City of Angkor Thom,
which contains many monuments, notably the Bayon, a temple mountain
situated in the middle of the city. Its special feature is the many
gigantic stone faces gazing in different directions, surrounding
whoever stands in the temple. Ta Phrom is the only temple that has
been left to the clutches of the encroaching jungle and it looks as
it might have done when the European explorers first laid eyes on
it more than a century ago. It has particular charm, with trees and
roots intertwined with the carvings and chambers of the buildings.
The exquisitely decorated pink sandstone temple of Banteay Srey has
the best example of Khmer classical art remaining. To visit the
temple region visitors must buy a one-day pass (US$20), three-day
pass (US$40) or seven-day pass (US$60).
