Angkor, << ANG kohr, >> was an early civilization that flourished in northwestern Cambodia from the early 800’s to the 1400’s. The most famous capital of this civilization was also called Angkor. Ruins of its temples lie near the present-day city of Siem Reap.
Cambodian kings built a large network of cities, villages, temples, artificial ponds, irrigation canals, and rice fields covering over 386 square miles (1,000 square kilometers) in the vicinity of Siem Reap between 820 and the 1100’s. The city of Angkor was the most magnificent. It may have had a million people, more than any European city at that time. The city included Angkor Thom, which was actually a city within the city of Angkor, and covered 4 square miles (10 square kilometers). The city of Angkor also contained many temples and palaces. The city and its temples rank as one of the artistic and architectural wonders of the world. Carved scenes of Cambodian life and Buddhist or Hindu mythology decorate the walls of the temples.
Loading the player...Angkor Wat
One of the temples, Angkor Wat, is probably the finest architectural monument in Cambodia. It covers nearly 1 square mile (2.6 square kilometers) and has a pyramidal form. This form imitates the mythological home of the Hindu gods. Angkor Wat was constructed in the 1100’s to honor the Hindu god Vishnu. It was also used as an astronomical observatory. Angkor Wat later became the tomb of the Cambodian king who had ordered its construction.
Another temple, the Bayon, stands at the center of Angkor Thom. It was dedicated to Buddha and the reigning king. More than 200 giant stone faces adorn its towers.
The civilization of Angkor reached its peak during the 1100’s and then began to decline. Invasions from neighboring Thailand, epidemics of malaria, deforestation and environmental degradation, and disputes within the royal Cambodian family may have caused this decline. Thai forces captured the city of Angkor in 1431 but soon abandoned it, and forest growth gradually covered most of the city. In 1860, Henri Mouhot, a French naturalist, discovered the city’s ruins. From the 1860’s to the mid-1900’s, French and Cambodian archaeologists restored and rebuilt many of its temples.
Loading the player...Bantei Srei temple, Angkor
