Angkor Thom South Gate

The south gate of Angkor Thom is most popular with visitors, as it has been fully restored and many of the heads remain in place. The gate is on the main road into Angkor Thom from Angkor Wat.

Bayon Temple

The Bayon temple was built nearly 100 years after Angkor Wat. The basic structure and earliest part of the temple ate not known. Since it was located at the Centre of a royal city it seems possible that the Bayon would have originally been a temple-mountain conforming to the symbolism of a microcosm of Mount Meru. The middle part of the temple was extended during the second phase of building. The Bayon of today belong to the third and last phase of the art style. The Smiling Face at Bayon, the architectural scale and composition of the Bayon exude grandness in every aspects. Its elements juxtapose each other to create balance and harmony and there are more then 200 large faces carved on the 54 tower give this temple its majestic character. The faces with slightly curving lips, eyes placed in shadow by the lowered lids utter not a word and yet force you to guess much, wrote P Jennerat de Beerski in the 1920s.

Angkor Thom

Angkor Thom is undeniably an expression of the highest genius. It is, in three dimensions and on a scale worthy of an entire nation, the materialization of Buddhist cosmology, representing ideas that only great painters would dare to portray.

Baphuon Temple

Baphoun is the temple stands on a rectangular sandstone base with five levels that are approximately the same size, rather than the more common form of successively smaller levels. The first, second and third levels are surrounded by sandstone galleries. Baphuon is the first structure in which stone galleries with a central tower appear. Two libraries in the shape of a cross with four porches stand in the courtyard. They were originally connected by an elevated walkway supported by columns.

Phimeanakas

Phimeanakas temple is situated near the center of the area enclosed by the walls of the Royal Palace. It must originally have been crowned with a golden pinnacle, as Zhou Daguan described it as the Tower of Gold The temple is built of roughly hewn sandstone blocks and has little decoration.

Terrace of the Elephants

The elephants are ridden by servants and princes, and tread as quietly as if they were on an excursive promenade. The steps of even length have no respect for any obstacle. The forest in which they travel in impenetrable to all but tiny creatures, able to squeeze their smallness between the fissures of the undergrowth and to the biggest animals, which crush chasms for their passage in the virgin vegetation.

Terrace of the Leper King

The terrace of the Leper King carries on the theme of grandeur that characterises the building during Jayavarman VII's reign. It is faced with dramatic bas-reliefs, both on the interior and exterior. During clearing, the EFEO found a second wall with bas-relief similar in composition to those of the outer wall and some archaeologists believe that this second wall is evidence of a late rites, two meters wide of laterite faced with sandstone. It collapsed and a second wall of the materials, two meters wide, was built right in front of it without any of the rubble being cleared. Recently, the EFEO has created a false corridor which allows visitor to inspect the relief on the first wall

Ta Prohm Temple

Ta Prohm is the undisputed capital of the kingdom of the Trees. It has been left untouched by archaeologists except for the clearing of a path for visitors and structural strengthening to stave of further deterioration. Because of its natural state, it is possible to experience at this temple the wonder of the early explorers when they came upon these monuments in the middle of the nineteenth century. Shrouded in dense jungle the temple of Ta Prohm is ethereal in aspect and conjures up a romantic aura. Fig, banyan and kapok trees spread their gigantic roots over stones, probing walls and terraces apart, as their branches and leaves intertwine to form a roof over the structures. Trunks of trees twist amongst stone pillars. The strange, haunted charm of the place entwines itself about you as you go, as inescapably as the roots have wound themselves about the walls and towers.

Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat, the largest monument of the Angkor group and the best preserved, is an architectural masterpiece. Its perfection in composition, balance, proportions, relief's and sculpture make it one of the finest monuments in the world. It is generally accepted that Angkor Wat was a funerary temple for King Suryavarman II and oriented to the west to conform to the symbolism between the setting sun and death. The bas-reliefs, designed for viewing from left to right in the order of Hindu funereal ritual, support this function.

Ta Nei Temple

This small temple is located deep in the Cambodian jungle, about 200 meters west of the East Baray. It can be difficult to find, and it is not a popular tourist destination. Because of the temple’s obscurity, a visit to Ta Nei can be quite rewarding for the adventurous traveler. The handful of wanderers that visit Ta Nei are not hassled by peddlers, or interrupted by the voices of excited travelers. The temple rewards them with the same charm that affected the early Angkor explorers. Ta Nei was built late in the 12th century. King Jayavarman VII is responsible for the design and construction of the temple. He dedicated the stone monument to the principles of Buddhism. Archeologists have left Ta Nei as it originally was, for the most part. Tree roots split open the temple stone, and jungle flora sprawls out across the temple grounds. Ta Nei has been the object of minimal reconstruction and clearing efforts. As a result, Ta Nei is a truly “ruined” ruin.

Banteay Srei

Bateay Srey is the unanimous opinion amongst French archaeologists who worked at Angkor is that Banteay Srei is a 'precious gem' and a 'jewel in Khmer art'. Banteay Srei, as it is known by locals and it was originally called Isvarapura, according to inscriptions. It was by a Brahmin of royal descent who was spiritual teacher to Jayavarman V. Some describe, it is a being closer in architecture and decoration to Indian models than any other temple at Angkor. A special feature of the exquisite decoration was the use of a hard pink sandstone (quartz arenite) where enabled the technique of sandalwood carving with even an Indian scent to it.

Banteay Samre

Banteay Samre is one of the most complete complexes at Angkor due to restoration using the method of anastylosis. Unfortunately, the absence of maintenance over the past 20 years is evident. The name Samre refers to an ethnic group of mountain people, who inhabited the regions at the base of Phnom Kulen and were probably related to the Khmers.

Pre Rup

Pre Rup is superb of boldness of the architectural design and give the temple fine balance, scale and proportion. The temple is almost identical in style to the East Mebon, although it was built several yeas later. It is the last real temple mountain. Pre Rup was called the 'City of the East ' by Philippe Stern, a Frenchman who worked on the site but the Cambodians have always regarded this temple as having funerary associations but reason is unknown. The name Pre Rup recalls one of the rituals of cremation in which the silhouette of the body of the deceased, outlined with its ashes, is successively represented according to different orientations, Some archaeologists believe that the large vat located at the base of the east stairway to the central area was used at cremations.

Eastern Mebon

The sculpture of East Mebon is varied and exceptional, including two meter high and free standing stone elephants at corners of the first and second tiers. Religious scenes include the god Indra atop his three headed elephant Airavata, and Shiva on his mount, the sacred bull Nandi. Carving on lintels is particularly elegant. It has two enclosing walls and three tiers. It includes the full array of durable Khmer construction materials : sandstone, brick, laterite and stucco. At the top is a central tower on a square platform, surrounded by four smaller towers at the platform’s corners. The towers are of brick; holes that formerly anchored stucco are visible.

Neak Pean

Neak Pean is one of the temples that make one dream of the olden days of luxury and beauty, it is a large square man made pond ( 70 meters, 230 feet each side ) bordered by steps and surrounded by four smaller ponds. A small circular island with a stepped base of seven laterite tiers is in the center of the large square pond. Small elephants sculpted in the round originally stood on the four comers. The central tower was dedicated to Avalokitesvara.

Preah Khan

Preah Khan temple is located 2 kilometers north-east of Angkor Thorn on the Grand Circuit. The temple was built in the second half of the 12th century in AD 1191 by King Jaya-varman VII, dedicating to his father Dharanindravarman. The Buddhist complex covers 56 hectares served as the nucleus of a group of Angkor complex

Banteay Prei

Banteay Prei is a rarely visited temple located near to another small temple called Prasat Prei. Temple is a minor temple that will only be of interest to those with time and specific interest in studying Angkor in-depth

Preah Dak Market is a famous and popular place for souvenirs such as objects and arts. Visitors can discover beautiful places