Angkor Thom – Map, Visiting Guide, Highlights, History & more

Angkor Thom is one of the most popular areas in the Angkor Archeological Park located minutes to the northeast of Angkor Wat and around 15 mins from Siem Reap city. Angkor Thom, literally: “Great City”, contains several of the must-see temples and ancient sites including Bayon Temple, Terrace of the Elephants, Terrace of the Leper … Read more

Angkor Thom North Gate

Angkor Thom North Gate, or Dei Chhnang Gate, is one of the five gates (gopura) for entering Angkor Thom. It is similar to the other gates featuring the massive gopura with monumental smiling faces at each cardinal point. As per the other gates, South Gate (Thvear Tonle Om), West Gate (Thvear Ta Kav), Victory Gate (Thvear Chey), … Read more

Angkor Thom South Gate

The south gate of Angkor Thom is a very famous spot within Angkor Archeological Park and one that shouldn’t be missed. Standing on the causeway, and admiring the sheer scale, as you find yourself drifting back in time to imagine how it must have felt to approach this spectacular city in its heydey is quite … Read more

Angkor Wat – Visiting Guide, Facts, History and More

Prasat Angkor Wat, or Angkor Wat Temple, is one of the largest religious monuments in the world, featuring a spectacular moat that encloses temple grounds with grand entrances and causeways leading to the massive multi-level, multi-towered ornate sandstone temple. It’s the main attraction of the massive Angkor Archaeological Park of Siem Reap and the nation … Read more

Banteay Kdei Temple

Banteay Kdei Temple is a charming ancient temple located opposite the grand basin of Srah Srang to which it was once connected. Built in the mid-12th to early 13th centuries during the reign of King Jayavarman VII, it is in the Bayon architectural style, with a flat layout plan similar to the nearby Ta Prohm … Read more

Banteay Prey Temple

Also known as Prasat Banteay Prei, it is located in Angkor Archaeological Park or Siem Reap, north of Preah Khan and just off the Grand Circuit road. First, you’ll find Prasat Prei, and then 100 m further on is the larger Banteay Prei site. The temples were built in the late 12th to early 13th … Read more

Baphuon Temple – History & Highlights

The Baphuon Temple, located in Angkor Thom to the northwest of the Bayon temple, is another of the famed mountain temples built by the ancient Khmer. The temple is known for its grand entrance, its scale, and the impressive reliefs especially those on the second enclosure of the top level. It dates to the mid-11th century, … Read more

Bayon Temple – Hidden Quirks, Facts and History

Bayon Temple is a richly decorated ancient Khmer temple located at the center of Angkor Thom in Angkor Archeological Park of Siem Reap, Cambodia. It is one of the must-see temples when visiting the area being famous for its array of towers with smiling faces and “baroque” architecture in a Khmer context. From an architectural … Read more

Chau Say Tevoda Temple – History & Highlights

Chau Say Tevoda (Khmer: ប្រាសាទចៅសាយទេវតា) is a temple at Angkor Archeological Park, Siem Reap Cambodia. It is located just east of Angkor Thom before the Victory Gate and directly opposite Thommanon Temple. Chau Say Tevoda is often overlooked on a tour of the temples which is a shame, as it is, in my mind at least, … Read more

East Mebon Temple

The East Mebon (Khmer: ប្រាសាទមេបុណ្យខាងកើត) is a 10th Century temple built during the reign of King Rajendravarman (reign 944 to 968 AD) at the center of the massive reservoir, Yasodharatataka Baray. Known as the East Baray today, it has been dry for many centuries, but in its day, this temple would have been an island … Read more

Kravan Temple

Prasat Kravan (Khmer: ប្រាសាទក្រវាន់) is a 10th-century temple constructed in the era of Harshavarman I (reign circa 910-922 AD) consisting of five brick towers. The temple was dedicated to Vishnu in 921 AD, according to the inscription. It’s a site that is often skipped, which is a shame, as the style of bas-relief carvings here … Read more

Krol Ko Temple

Krol Ko Temple is an ancient Buddhist temple located in Angkor Archeological Park, Siem Reap, Cambodia. It was built at the end of the 12th century, in Bayon style, under the rule of king Jayavarman VII (reign 1181–1218 AD). To its south is the famous Neak Pean island temple of the Jaytataka Baray. The ancient … Read more

Leak Neang – Hospital Chapel

Located west of Ta Keo temple, it is one of the many ‘hospital chapels’ built during the reign of King Jayavarman VII. The site layout is typical of that construction type featuring a single sandstone temple with a false story superstructure, a hall/mandapa extending east, and then, enclosed by an outer wall with entrance gopura. … Read more

Leak Neang Temple

Prasat Leak Neang is a small temple located opposite Pre Rup inside Angkor Archaeological Park. According to an inscription, the building dates from 960 and was built in the era of king Rajendravarman II (reign  944 to 968 AD). The single brick temple has a square base, 4.5 m a side and rises up with … Read more

Neak Pean – The Mystical Island Temple

Constructed during the era of king Jayavarman VII (reign 1181-1218 AD), Neak Pean (or Neak Poun) is one of the most mysterious, and unique temples, of the Angkorian Empire. Located on a man-made island at the center of a massive baray (lake), hidden amongst the dense woods is a very special Buddhist temple. Rising from … Read more

Phimeanakas Temple

Phimeanakas (Khmer: ប្រាសាទភិមានអាកាស) is another of the grand pyramid-based state-temples that was the common archetype of the 8-11th century. Located inside the ancient Royal Palace of Angkor Thom, it is a grand three-tiered pyramid with a rectangular base whose corners are mounted with stone elephants and staircases flanked by lions which lead up to a … Read more

Phnom Bakheng – The Mountain Top Pyramid – History & Highlights

Bakheng Temple sits atop the 65m rise that carries the same name, Phnom Bakheng and looks across the plains below with Angkor Thom to its north and Angkor Wat to its southeast, both of which it predates by more than two centuries. It’s a monumental construction that followed the beliefs of the time and the … Read more

Pre Rup Temple – History & Highlights

Pre Rup (Khmer: ប្រាសាទប្រែរូប) is a grand brick temple with a quincunx of towers rising from a pyramid base to form the “temple mountain”, an architectural concept of the ancient Khmer to represent the sacred Mount Meru in Hindu beliefs. Located around 5km to the northeast of Angkor Wat, which it predates, it was built … Read more

Preah Khan – Maps, Highlights, Hidden Quirks, and History

Originally recorded as Nagara Jayasri (holy city of victory), Preah Khan is a large and grand ancient temple at Angkor Archeological Park, Siem Reap. It was built-in the 12th century under the reign of king Jayavarman VII (reign 1181-1218 AD) to honor his father who in turn built the nearby Ta Prohm to honor his … Read more

Preah Palilay Temple

Preah Palilay (Khmer: ប្រាសាទព្រះបាលិលេយ្យ) is a small but fascinating ancient temple located in Angkor Thom, only a short walk to the north-west of Terrace of Leper King and Tep Pranam. The site’s contemporary name, Preah Palilay, has the meaning Sacred Forest of Palilay whilst the original site name is unknown. At its eastern entrance it … Read more

Preah Pithu T (Kor Sak Temple)

Kor Sak Temple, or Preah Pithu T, is located in Angkor Thom and is one of the five temples that make up what is known as Preah Pithu Group which are located to the northeast of the ancient Royal Palace. The ancient temple was originally dedicated to Vishnu, opening to the west with a large … Read more

Preah Pithu U (Chorm Temple)

Preah Pithu U, or Chorm Temple, is a small sandstone temple, surrounded by a wall and sharing an “island” created by an outer moat with Preah Pithu T (Kor Sak Temple).  The outer wall with entrances at each cardinal point leading to the small temple that rises up on a stepped base. It is quite … Read more

Preah Pithu V (Duan Mea Temple)

Preah Pithu V, or Duan Mea Temple, is an early 12th Century Hindu temple located in Angkor Thom. It is part of what is known as the Preah Pithu Group which references five temples that are clustered together, although, not necessarily constructed at the same time. The site does not feature a foundation inscription and … Read more

Preah Pithu X (Ta Tuot Temple)

Differing from others in the Preah Pithu group, Ta Tuot is a Buddhist Temple converted from an earlier Hindu temple sometime around the 14th century. It is a sandstone temple atop a large and tall platform atop of which is a stepped pyramid-style base with four stairways leading to the central shrine also with entrances … Read more

Preah Pithu Y (Kandork Yeak Temple)

Preah Pithu Y, or Kandork Yeak Temple, is a 12th-century sandstone temple located in Angkor Thom. It was originally dedicated to Vishnu. It is one of the five temples in the Preah Pithu Group and differs greatly from the other four in many ways. Similar though is the fact that it sits atop a large … Read more

Prei Temple (Prey E Tbong Temple)

Prasat Prei is located on a small rise featuring what would have been a small compound with a wall surrounding a single sanctuary and ‘library’. At the site today you can still see a standing remnant of the entry gopura (gate), wall, and the library and main temple are still standing. The main temple albeit … Read more

Spean Thma

Known as Spean Thmor, or Spean Thma (Khmer: ស្ពានថ្ម) in Angkor Archeological Park is an ancient sandstone bridge located west of Ta Keo. It was built on the former path of the Siem Reap River between Angkor Thom and the Eastern Baray and it was rebuilt/constructed sometime between the 13-17th century, officially recorded as the 17th … Read more

Srah Srang & Kandal Srah Srang

Srah Srang (Khmer: ស្រះស្រង់) is a reservoir at Angkor, Cambodia, located south of the East Baray and east of Banteay Kdei. Srah Srang measures 700 by 350 m, lined by laterite blocks capped with sandstone featuring a landing stage/terrace on its western side and an island temple at its center. It is cruciform, flanked by … Read more

Ta Keo Temple

Prasat Ta Keo is another grand example of the ancient Khmer concept of the “temple mountain” featuring a monumental stepped-pyramid base topped with five massive towers. Located east of Angkor Thom, north of Angkor Wat, and on the west side of the East Baray, it is dated to the 11th century. Visiting Ta Keo Temple … Read more

Ta Prohm Temple – Layout, History, Visiting Guide and More

Ta Prohm temple is located 3 km northeast of Angkor Wat, and around 12 km northeast of Siem Reap city. It is an ancient Buddhist monastic complex that was constructed in 1186 AD under the reign of the Khmer King, Jayavarman VII, and is popularly known in modern culture as the “Tomb Raider Temple”. The … Read more

Hello Angkor