During our time in Siem Reap, we allotted two days to explore the temples of The Angkor Complex. The Angkor Complex and surrounding area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Most people call the entire area Angkor Wat, but in actuality, Angkor Wat is just one of the many incredible temples in the area.
Because we had a lot of ground to cover, we had to decide how to best plan our visit. There are many options for transportation through the temple grounds–cycling, tuk-tuk, car. You would be extremely inefficient and ridiculously limited without transportation. The complex is gigantic and spread out.
We decided that day one we would use a car, and day two we would use a tuk-tuk. Our driver, Dora, was quite possibly the nicest person ever! He gave us so much information about the area, about himself, and about Cambodia in general that we decided to scrap the tuk-tuk day two, and go with him again. He was awesome! (FYI: It really was nice having the air-conditioning. We were spoiled Day 1, so that was a definite bonus!)
The Temples
The temples were built between the 9th and 15th centuries AD, starting with Preah Ko (AD 875-890), and ending with Bayon (AD 1175-1240).
Of all of the temples in the complex, Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom are the most impressive. Angkor Wat is the said to be the world’s largest religious structure. It is definitely the most famous and most ornate. We started the day at Angkor Thom.
Angkor Thom is more like a city of temples, (see the map above) including Bayon, Baphuon, Phimeanakas, the Terace of the Leper King and the Terrace of the Elephants. Our first impression was of the massive causeway and gates. The Asura statues lining the causeway are all slightly different than each other.
The temples are filled with details, from panels depicting various scenes of day to day life, to bas-reliefs of apsara dancers, to walls and walls of carved writing. It’s overwhelming, and impossible to see all of it in two days. Even writing this now, I’m finding it difficult to focus on just one thing. Let’s let the pictures do the work!
Here are some of the lovelies we saw:
Reconstruction & Restoration
Angkor was “rediscovered” in the 19th century, having been abandoned for centuries, and was once again lost to the world during the 70’s due to war. Since the collapse of the Khmer Rouge in the late 90’s, the temples have undergone massive restoration efforts. Mines (unexploded ordinance) had to be cleared from the area, not to mention an overgrowth of vegetation.
Restoration efforts were prominent, and globally funded. Given the importance of Angkor archeologically, and to the Cambodians economically, conserving the site is of utmost importance.
There is so much to say about our time at the Angkor Complex. So much history, so many interesting things and people that the photos will have to do a lot of the work.
If you have the opportunity to visit Cambodia, you won’t be disappointed. The people were the most gracious hosts, and the small bit of scenery we saw was unbelievably gorgeous.
~j