Angkor National MuseumThe Angkor National Museum is classified as one of Cambodia’s premier museum sites. On display are thousands of important Buddhist and Hindu sculptures from the various Angkor temples. Many original pieces recovered for safe-keeping by the authorities from the temple ruins are also on exhibit at this museum. Since the discovery of the […]
Silver Pagoda The Silver Pagoda, also known as the Preah Vihear Preah Keo Morokat (the Emerald Pagoda) to Cambodians, lies within the grounds of the Royal Palace, which is situated near the banks of the Mighty Mekong. Originally a wooden structure, the palace was initially constructed in 1892 during the reign of King Norodom, but
Royal Palace The Royal Palace of Cambodia is a complex of buildings, even though it is generally understood to be the royal abode of the King of Cambodia. The compound was the citadel of King Ponhea Yat (1393-1463) and rebuilt to its present state in 1886, when King Norodom (1834-1904) relocated the royal capital from
Wat Phnom (Wat Phnom Daun Penh) Wat Phnom, the namesake and symbol of the capital city of Phnom Penh, sets prominently atop an artificial 27 meter hill (or ‘Phnom’) in the northeastern section of the city. Legend has it that Daun Penh, a wealthy widow, retrieved a large koki tree trunk from the river. She
Angkor National MuseumThe Angkor National Museum is classified as one of Cambodia’s premier museum sites. On display are thousands of important Buddhist and Hindu sculptures from the various Angkor temples. Many original pieces recovered for safe-keeping by the authorities from the temple ruins are also on exhibit at this museum. Since the discovery of the
Kulen Mountain National ParkConstructed: 9th century C.E.Religion: HinduKing/Patron: Jayavarman IIStyle: Kulen The Kulen Mountain or Phnom Kulen is declared as a National Park. It is an isolated mountain massif located in Svay Leu District and some 48km from Siem Reap. Its highest point is 487 meters. This is widely regarded as the birthplace of the ancient Khmer Empire. During the
Banteay Kdei TempleConstructed: Late 12th – Early 13th century C.E.Religion: BuddhistKing/Patron: Jayavarman VIIStyle: Angkor Wat/Bayon Built in the late twelfth to early thirteenth century during the reign of Jayavarman VII, Banteay Kdei is known only as a Buddhist temple constructed in the Bayon style. It has been occupied by monks at various intervals over the centuries, but the inscription stone has
Phnom BakhengConstructed: Late 9th – Early 10th century C.E.Religion: Hindu (Shiva)King/Patron: Yasovarman IStyle: Bakheng Phnom Bakheng was constructed more than two centuries before the Angkor Wat. It is a Hindu temple originally built in the form of a temple mountain dedicated to Shiva. Historians believe that Phnom Bakheng was in its heyday, the principal temple of the Angkor region. It was the
Bayon Temple Constructed: Late 12th century C.E.Religion: BuddhistKing/Patron: Jayavarman VIIStyle: Bayon Bayon is a richly decorated Khmer temple built in the late twelfth century or early thirteenth century. Built at the centre of King Jayavarman’s capital, Angkor Thom was the last state temple to be built at Angkor, and the only Angkorian state temple to be built primarily as a
Phnom Krom – Tonle Sap LakeTonle Sap, the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia, is itself a natural wonder.This great lake exists as an ecological anomaly. In early June, at the start of the rainy season, the water level of the Mekong River rises to divert part of its flow off its course to the
