Angkor Thom

• Address: Angkor, Cambodia
• Phone: +855 95 353 634
• Date of founding: 1177.

Cambodia is one of the most original and mysterious states of Southeast Asia, possessing the richest historical and cultural heritage. One wants to talk about one of the important cities of the empire in this article.

Giant museum of temples in the open air

One of the unique cities of Cambodia is the oldest Angkor Thom. In its best years the city was considered the largest population center of the Indochina Peninsula, nowadays - a giant museum of temples in the open air. Traveling through the city, it seems that the temples themselves created nature and hid them in the wild jungle. Many scientists tried to unravel the mystery of building such unusual and majestic temples, but all in vain, the ancient inhabitants of the city carefully keep this secret.

For a long time Cambodia was a set of scattered principalities, but in 802, King Jayavarman II succeeded in uniting the state into a single kingdom. The monarch proclaimed himself anointed by God and built a temple that glorifies the god Shiva. Since then, the mass construction of temples in Angkor-Tom began, with which we can admire so far.

From 802 to 1432, Angkor Thom was the capital of the Khmer Kingdom. At that time, the state experienced difficult times: wars with neighboring states, a difficult situation within the country. But, despite all this, the rulers of Angkor sought to build more and more new temples to show their power and unlimited power. It is also unreal that the European states of that time were small, and there were about a million people living in Angkor Thom.

In the middle of the 20th century, most of the temples were restored. Internal military conflicts suspended the restoration work for several years, but after the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime, led by Paul Later, the restoration of the temples was resumed. In 2003, the ancient city of Cambodia, Angkor Thom, was removed from the list of UNESCO cultural monuments under threat.

Angkor Thom Temples

Today the temple complex includes Angkor Thom, Ta-Prom, Bantei-Kdei, Neak-Pean, Ta-Som, Sra-Srang, Preah Khan, Bayon.

1. Angkor Thom, which in translation sounds like a "big city", the temple that occupies the central part of the complex, was built in the XI century. In its wall there are 5 gates, and above them towers adorned with the faces of the gods.
2. Ta-Prom - one of the most beautiful temples of the city, which has not been restored and now appears before tourists the same as when found - entangled by the powerful roots of giant trees.
3. Banteay-Kdei is a temple whose mystery has never been solved by scientists. Stella, by which the god is determined, to whom the temple is dedicated and has not been found. However, in recent years, more and more often there are statues of Buddha, which suggests that the temple is glorified by him.
4. Neak-Pean is a temple erected not later than the XII century. The building is dedicated to the god Avalokitesvar and is located on a dried lake. The temple is surrounded by four artificial ponds, which symbolize the main natural elements.
5. Ta-Som is one of the most interesting temples of Angkor, which was built at the end of the 12th century in memory of Emperor Dharanindravarman II. That Som places in itself only one sanctuary, the walls of which are decorated with engravings. Inside the temple were once located two libraries.
6. Sra-Srang is a reservoir, which was part of the temple of the same name, which, unfortunately, has not survived to this day. Its age is more than a thousand years.
7. Preah Khan is one of the largest temples of the complex, built presumably in the 12th century. For a long time, Preah Khan could not be found among the jungle. After a detailed study of the doctrine came to the conclusion that originally the temple was conceived as a school, teaching monks.
8. Bayon , one of the most recent temples of Angkor, whose construction was completed in 1219. Bayon is a rock-temple, interesting with its unusual terraces and 52 towers.

How to get to the goal?

Most tourists are located in the city of Siem Reap, which is located 8 kilometers from the destination. Getting to Angkor Thom from Cambodia can be done in different ways. If you are used to independent routes and excursions , we will notice that this is possible, but you will have to wait for the necessary bus for at least three hours. On the way to the open-air museum, you need to call in the visitor-center to buy a ticket, the cost of which is $ 20. It is much more convenient and safer to book a guided tour. Transportation is paid and will pick you up from the hotel, the tour lasts an average of 10 hours and costs about $ 70.