The Angkor Archaeological Park is one of the most fascinating destinations in the world for tourists with a taste for the historical, the grandiose and the exotic. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992, this 400-square-kilometre park contains enduring remnants of what was once one of the most influential and resplendent eras of the ancient world: the rule of the kings of Angkor, the age of gold of the Khmer Empire.
This ancient kingdom contains not just one but many citadels whose construction seems to date from the 9th to the 15th century. To the layman, the image of Angkor appears as towering stone ruins whose surface is covered with the most intricate and elaborate carvings and carvings, half hidden by lush wilderness. This is an accurate summary, however the explorer who digs deeper will find that there is more to Angkor than meets the eye.
The Angkor temples are the only remaining structures in this kingdom that was once teeming with thousands of commoners, courtiers, and nobles. The 100 standing stone temples withstood the test of time long after the wooden palaces and houses crumbled to dust. After the sack of the city by the Thais in the 15th century, Angkor had lain abandoned and forgotten until traveling Buddhist monks stumbled across its ruins and were so amazed by echoes of its magnificence that they thought it was a lost city. created by the gods themselves. . Their accounts became legends and the lost city of the Khmer kings was thought to be a myth, until the French explorer Henri Mouhot rediscovered it in 1860. Fascinated by the splendor and detail conveyed by the ruins, French scholars launched a program for its restoration to which the excellent state of conservation in which the temples are today is due.
Although the plan and situation of the Angkor kingdom was initially thought to be the result of its strategic and agricultural convenience, further study revealed increasingly astounding mysteries. It appears that the structures are arranged in a way that exactly corresponds to the position of the stars in the constellation of Draco, at the spring equinox in 10,500 BC! This is a theme that reappears in the positioning of Bakong’s three Rolous temples, Prei Monli and Prah Ko, which reflect the three stars of the Corona Borealis from the same period. Taken together with the recurring sculptural motifs of demons and deities, the complex appears as a bid to architecturally synchronize the heavenly and the earthly.
Whether one can only devote half a day to exploring this intriguing kingdom or the full three days required, Angkor Wat is the one place that definitely needs to be on one’s travel itinerary. The best preserved temple in the country is also one of its main icons and remains a place of Hindu and Buddhist pilgrimage to this day. The temple-mountain concept, representing the mythical Mount Meru, forms the basis of its architectural design, complete with the outer moat, three sequentially raised galleries inside, and the five central towers. The sunrise and sunset of the day see this site at its most spectacular, retaking for a few moments the mantle of glory and majesty that it provided in the days of yore. Angkor Thom, the last capital of the Angkor Empire, and the Buddhist temple of Bayon at its center, are close behind in historical importance and aesthetic beauty. Ta Phrom, believed to be the earthly counterpart of the star Eta Draconis, is a restored monastery and temple deliberately left in the stranglehold of jungle tree roots, and features one of the world’s most unique photogenic sites. of the area.
There are many more temples and temple complexes in and around the area, some restored, some left in the wild, but all featuring some of the most impressive bas-reliefs and intricate ornamentation ever seen in the ancient world. These are best seen on the back of an elephant (an opportunity that comes along as an added intrigue to the exploration) or as you walk through the many historical gems hidden in the undergrowth. The unspoiled tropical landscape of mountains and rivers and the rural charm of the local villages serve to enhance the feeling of having truly stepped through the looking glass.