Angkor Botanical Garden (សួនរុក្ខជាតិអង្គរ), previously known as the Angkor Spice Garden, has been undergoing upgrades for some time and is now open to the public. The 14-hectare site is educational and relaxing featuring local traditional medicinal plants & spices, flowers, a palm garden, Khmer inspirational garden, and Angkor forest garden. At the northern end, in the … Read more
Located in Siem Reap along the route to Angkor Wat from the city center, the Angkor National Museum is one of the country’s finest offering an excellently presented exhibition of ancient artifacts from across the Khmer Empire. Superior in every way to the museum in Phnom Penh, the offering in Siem Reap elegantly and informative … Read 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
The grand outer enclosure wall of Angkor Thom is 3 km square constructed of laterite and further supported by an inner earthen buttressing. The enclosure has five monumental gates preceded by causeways that cross the 110m wide outer surrounding moat. The five gates are covered here: South Gate (Tonle Om), West Gate (Thvear Ta Kev), … Read more
Angkor Thom East Gate, or Thvear Khnoch/Kmoch Gate (Gate of the Dead), is one of the five gates that lead through the walls of Angkor Thom. It is a rarely visited site that is approached from Bayon temple via a dirt trail. That said, of all the gates this one certainly has a character and … Read more
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
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
Thvear Chey, or Victory Gate of Angkor Thom, is one of the five gates of Angkor Thom, located on the eastern side and north of the Gate of the Dead. Interestingly, the other four gates are located on cardinal points having a particular symmetry from an overall design based on Hindu beliefs. Victory gate, however, … Read more
Angkor Thom West Gate (also recorded as Ta Kav Gate, TaKaov, Thvear Ta Keo) is one of the five ancient gates allowing entry into Angkor Thom. The other gates are the South Gate (Thvear Tonle Om), North Gate (Thvear Ta Nok), Victory Gate (Thvear Chey), and East Gate (Gate of the Dead or Thvear Khnoch). … Read more
Angkor Wat has four gopura (entry gates) each located at cardinal points while only the west and east gates have causeways crossing the moat. The western entrance is the main and grandest entrance of all. See here for the complete guide to Angkor Wat, and here we’ll continue on with the moat and outer gopura … Read more
Here we’ll introduce the many inscriptions at Angkor Wat, and, where to see them. Angkor Wat features a large array of fascinating and often hidden inscriptions that were, surprisingly to some, left mostly during the later eras and in the post-Angkor era. Some of the inscriptions are left by royalty who returned to Angkor around … Read more
Located on the second level of Angkor Wat, Preah Poan (cruciform gallery) is a sacred and significant place within the massive ancient temple. You can also see it noted as Brah Ban, Prah Pan, Preah Pean, or more commonly the English translation being Hall of a Thousand Buddhas. Here we will cover just that cruciform … Read more
The penultimate feature of the great temple of Angkor Wat, the third level, or Bakan, is the enormous thirty-meter high substructure that supports the amazing quincunx of towers. It rises 30 meters with sloping sides featuring narrow stepped staircases at each corner and a central staircase on its western side. Today you can reach the … Read more
Here we will cover each of the bas-relief scenes in the outer gallery of Angkor Wat, where they are located, a brief guide to the interpretation, and several curiosities that shouldn’t be missed. Undoubtedly, one of the most celebrated features of Angkor Wat is the incredible bas-relief friezes that line the inner walls of the … Read 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
Baksei Chamkrong (Khmer: ប្រាសាទបក្សីចាំក្រុង) is a temple located in the Angkor Archeological Park (Siem Reap, Cambodia). The temple can be seen on the left side when entering Angkor Thom at the southern gate. It was dedicated to King Yasovarman by his son, King Harshavarman I, and held Shiva as the main deity. The temple was … Read more
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
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
Prasat Bat Chum (Khmer: ប្រាសាទបាទជុំ) is a small temple located to the northeast of Angkor Wat and south of Srah Srang. It features three brick shrines aligned on a north-south axis and open to the east. According to its inscription, it was conceived by Kavindrarimathana, a Buddhist minister of Khmer king Rajendravarman, at the middle … Read more
A small 3 m square temple dedicated to Brahmanism while the exact era is unknown. Originally only several large sandstone pieces could be seen but it has recently been undergoing restoration.
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
Also known as Beng Thom, an East-West oriented basin measuring 350 x 180 m. Linked to Rong Ta Dev, a hole for runoff flows in the outer wall of Angkor Thom. The basin also features a series of smaller basins to its east where there are also remains of an ancient site known as Terrace … Read more
Chan Ta Uon Temple (Khmer: ប្រាសាទចាន់តាអួន), or Prasat Prei, is located about 800 meters northwest of the walls of Angkor Thom, located in Nokor Krao village, Kork Chak commune, Siem Reap. It is one of 102 ‘hospitals’ built during the reign of Jayavarman VII in the late 12th century. The temple was built in the … Read more
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
Located 16 km south of the Siem Reap city center and 5 km south of Phnom Kroam, Chong Kneas is one of the most popular of the several floating villages that line the great Tonle Sap Lake. It is accessed easily by a good sealed road that leads to the pier and ticket office and … Read more
Located around 500m east of Ta Keo temple and situated on the western bank of the Eastern Baray is a large terrace structure known as Don Mao/Duan Mao. It’s a large stepped structure constructed of laterite, possibly as a landing jetty/pier for the East Baray (akin to Srah Srang), while noting that there is another … Read more
The East Baray (Yasodharatataka) is a vast basin 2 x 7 km that now sits dry. Built in the early 10th century during the reign of King Yasovarman, although a little smaller than the later West Baray, it is believed to have held a staggering 50 million cubic meters of water with a depth of … Read more
Laterite remnants of what may be an outlet of the East Baray. It may also be referred to as Krol Romeas. Gallery
A laterite shelter that once housed an inscribed stele. The inscription is registered under K. 282.
