The Wats of Angkor in a Picture Post
Cambodia’s Angkor Wat complex is a dream within a dream. Offering endless opportunities to wind your way through history and discover a world from 1,000 years ago. Angkor Wat is the common name for the structures, with Wat meaning Buddhist Temple in Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand, but there is far more than just one Wat to explore.
According to UNESCO:
Angkor, in Cambodia’s northern province of Siem Reap, is one of the most important archaeological sites of Southeast Asia. It extends over approximately 400 square kilometres and consists of scores of temples, hydraulic structures (basins, dykes, reservoirs, canals) as well as communication routes. For several centuries Angkor, was the centre of the Khmer Kingdom. With impressive monuments, several different ancient urban plans and large water reservoirs, the site is a unique concentration of features testifying to an exceptional civilization. Temples such as Angkor Wat, the Bayon, Preah Khan and Ta Prohm, exemplars of Khmer architecture, are closely linked to their geographical context as well as being imbued with symbolic significance. The architecture and layout of the successive capitals bear witness to a high level of social order and ranking within the Khmer Empire. Angkor is therefore a major site exemplifying cultural, religious and symbolic values, as well as containing high architectural, archaeological and artistic significance.
The park is inhabited, and many villages, some of whom the ancestors are dating back to the Angkor period are scattered throughout the park. The population practices agriculture and more specifically rice cultivation.
I don’t want to talk too much about our time there, except to say if you’re wanting to have your breath taken away at an affordable rate go to Siem Reap. The people are kind, the food is delicious (just… be careful 🙂 ), and there is plenty to do and fun to be had. Beers are as low as $.50 for a draft. The city is lively and filled with tourists. We met some great local characters who never seemed to be without a smile. While Cambodia is still raw from the Khmer Rouge genocide that ended just 38 years ago and led to the deaths of an estimated 25 percent of the total population (around 2 million people), the spirit of the people is ever resilient and they fight on.
Click on any picture to blow it up and see it in greater detail. This is my first album, so hope you like it!
