Angkor (Cambodia)

Angkor Reviews

Angkor Photos

Angkor Information

Overview

Things to do

Country Info (Cambodia)

Slideshow of Photos

For hundreds of years, the lost city of Angkor was itself a legend. Cambodian peasants living on the edge of the thick jungle around the Tonle Sap lake reported findings which puzzled the French colonialists who arrived in Indo-China in the 1860s. The peasants said they had found "temples built by gods or by giants." Their stories were casually dismissed as folktales by the pragmatic Europeans. Yet some did believe that there really was a lost city of a Cambodian empire which had once been powerful and wealthy, but had crumbled many years before.

Henri Mahout's discovery of the Angkor temples in 1860 opened up this `lost city' to the world. The legend became fact and a stream of explorers, historians and archaeologists came to Angkor to explain the meaning of these vast buildings. The earliest of these scholars could not believe that Angkor had been built by the Cambodian people, believing the temples to have been built by another race who had conquered and occupied Cambodia maybe 2,000 years before. Gradually, some of the mysteries were explained, the Sanskrit inscriptions deciphered and the history of Angkor slowly pieced together, mainly by French scholars in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Angkor and the Angkor Wat as a result of its legend and mysterious existance has long been one of the worlds most popular tourist attractions.

Angkor Wat is located about six km (four miles) north of Siem Reap, south of Angkor Thom. Entry and exit to Angkor Wat can only be access from its west gate. Angkor Wat was built in the first half of the 12th century (113-5BC). Estimated construction time of the temple is 30 years by King Suryavarman II , dedicated to Vishnu (Hindu), replica of Angkor Thom style of art.

Suggest a change to the Angkor Overview section (click to dropdown)

Population: 13.607.100
Languages: Khmer 95% (official), French, English
Currency: riel
Currency code: KHR
Local Times:
Cambodia - Phnom Penh

Country Dialling Code: +855
Voltage: 120V 50Hz
Electrical plugs:
2 parallel flat prongs

For many travellers the allure of an unspoilt and little explored country is irresistible. Emerging from a violent past of atrocities, war and political instability, Cambodia is slowly becoming a top destination on the South East Asia travel map. The magnificent temples of the 'Lost City' of Angkor are an overpowering attraction that, despite the dangers of unexploded landmines and the threat of rural banditry, is a must-see for the determined traveller.

Modern day Cambodia is the successor kingdom of the powerful Khmer Empire which ruled most of what is today Vietnam, Laos and Thailand during the 9th to 14th centuries. Although the country doesn't have the same volume of attractions as some of its neighbours, the Khmer people are the friendliest and most likeable in the area. Visiting Cambodia can be a beautiful experience of friendly conversations, smiles and polite bows, as well as a journey of fascinating history. One can also search for the charms of the French-era capital city Phnom Penh, visit the tragic horrors of the Killing Fields or drift past sleepy riverside locations on a boat trip.

The scenery is beautiful with lush green forests and jungle, banana plantations, fields of agriculture and mighty rivers. Cambodia is a country of simple lifestyles and a largely rural populace. It is not a place of fast and efficient transport or luxurious hotels and resort living. Infrastructure is not a commonly used word and getting between places can be half the fun, but with world class attractions as well as areas still awaiting discovery, golden beaches and islands inviting exploration by the enterprising traveller, it sits like a pearl in an unopened oyster.

Cambodia is the successor - state of the mighty Khmer Empire, which ruled much of what is now Vietnam, Laos and Thailand. Among the achievements of Khmer civilisation are the magisterial temples of Angkor. There is no other historical site in South - East Asia that matches the grandeur of this ancient complex. Apart from the wonders of Angkor, Cambodia has a rich and proud culture, a charming French-era capital (albeit a little weathered) and impressive natural scenery.

Present - day Cambodia is bloodied and bowed after two decades of internecine war and the July 1997 collapse of shaky UN - sponsored democratic reforms. The ramifications of Hun Sen's violent assumption of power and the death of Pol Pot remain to be seen. The question on everyone's mind when visiting Cambodia is, how safe is it If you stick to Phnom Penh, its surrounding attractions and Angkor you should be fine. This is one country where heading off the beaten track is just plain stupid.

Very little is known about prehistoric Cambodia, although archeological evidence has established that prior to 1000 BC Cambodians subsisted on a diet of fish and rice and lived in houses on stilts, as they still do today. From the 1st to the 6th centuries, much of Cambodia belonged to the South - East Asian kingdom of Funan, which played a vital role in developing the political institutions, culture and art of later Khmer states. However, it was the Angkorian era, beginning in the 8th century, that really transformed the kingdom into an artistic and religious power.