ANGKOR WAT

Anchor what? This is the most popular question asked by Western people. In fact, we have very little knowledge about one of the most interesting and beautiful places on Earth.

The name Angkor is the Western equivalent of Nakhon, which is itself derived from the Sanskrit word Nagara or in English Saint Cobra. The word Angkor is used as a designation for the period of the Khmer Empire, which lasted from 802 to 1432 AD, however, there are different theories about time localization of Angkor building. In 1432 a Thai army defeated Khmer troops and captured their capital. As a result the City was partially destroyed and by the King's decision the capital was moved 320 km North from Angkor to Phnom Penh. When the Thai soldiers came back two years later, they found Angkor abandoned. This marked the end of the Great Khmer Empire, which ruled South-East Asia for many centuries. Although highly advanced in engineering, building, arts and military activities, today we only have the remains of their magnificent temples and numerous archaeological artifacts.

The second phase in the history of Angkor Wat took place in the 17 century when European missionaries arrived in central area of Cambodia. In their letters are described stories about the ruins of an unknown city lost in the jungle. Nobody believed these stories. It was only after Henry Mouhot, a French naturalist published detailed descriptions of Angkor in 1860, that people all over the world started to come to see this miracle turned to stone. During the period of the French occupation of Indo-China a few temples of Angkor Thom were cleaned from the trees and partially restored. The long-term civil war in Cambodia after the Second World War stopped any further archaeological renovation works. Today UNESCO and NGO sponsoring agencies are conducting new research and are maintaining one of the world’s most valuable areas of historical heritage.

Siem Reap is the capital of the province of the same name. This is a small, French colonial style town, situated approximately 7 kilometers from international airport and 6 kilometers from Angkor Thom.