Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia is one of the great religious monuments. Angkor Wat, translated from Khmer (the official language of Cambodia) literally means “City Temple.”
Angkor Wat history
Angkor is a complex of relics, history, culture and religion of Cambodia in the northwest of Tonle Sap, in Siem Reap province; The ancient capital of the Khmer dynasties from the 9th to the 15th centuries. In Sanskrit, “Angkor” means “city”, according to archaeologists, this place is one of the largest cities in the world. The pre-industrial world spanned 1,150 square miles.
The Angkor complex is considered a world wonder, recognized by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage in 1992. The entire complex is a large land area including more than 80 monuments built during the period. from the 7th to the 8th centuries. These are stone structures of the temple-mountain type of Hinduism and Buddhism.
Where Is Angkor Wat?
The Angkor Wat temple complex is the most famous tourist destination in Cambodia. It is also one of the seven wonders of the world recognized by UNESCO. It can be said that this is the greatest legacy left by the Khmer for posterity.
Located about 6 km north of Siem Reap, Angkor Wat was built by King Suryavarman II in the first half of the 12th century. The area of the whole complex extends over 248 square miles (400 km2), running around the temple is a deep and wide moat.
How was Angkor Wat built?
The sandstone blocks from which Angkor Wat was built were quarried from the sacred mountain of Phnom Kulen, more than 50 km (31mi), and floated down the Siem Reap River on rafts. The logistics of such an operation are laborious for thousands of people. According to the inscriptions, the construction of Angkor Wat involved 300,000 workers and 6000 elephants. It is not fully completed.
The mysterious temples in the Angkor Complex:
- Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat is the temple with the most monumental architecture in the entire complex, with the main entrance facing the West direction directly towards the setting sun. Angkor Wat Temple has 398 rooms, connected by 1,500m of corridors. Above, 5 towers are connected with 3 architectural floors, in which the tallest tower is up to 65m, 4 sub-towers are 40m high. The road leading to the main gate of Angkor Wat is also made of boulders 230m long, nearly 10m wide and 5m high above the lake on both sides of the temple.
The entire temple complex still retains ancient traces with many images of stone carving art such as giant reliefs, columns, doors, ceilings, walls, corridors, railings, roofs… extraordinary strength and skillful hands of the ancient Khmer.
- Angkor Thom
Not far from Angkor Wat is Angkor Thom temple, which was once the capital of the mighty Khmer empire. Angkor Thom, which means “Great City”, is the longest and last capital city of the Khmer Kingdom built by King Jayavarman VII at the end of the 12th century, after the construction of Angkor Wat 100. five. This area owns outstanding temples and architecture such as Bayon temple, Baphuon temple, Phnom Bakheng temple at the top of the hill, Elephant Terrace, Terrace of the Leper King and 5 large gates leading to Angkor Thom.
- Little Circuit
Little Circuit – this area has the most famous temple, the “old” temple of Ta Prohm, where the creation of nature blends with the works of man. The branches and roots of ancient trees grow intermingled, covering the temple, creating a quaint sight, attracting tourists to Cambodia.
- Big Circuit
Big Circuit- this area also has a construction of Preah Khan temple similar to Ta Prohm temple: Stone walls interspersed with old tree stumps. In addition, in Big Circuit, there is also an ideal place to watch the sunset, which is Pre Rup temple. This is also a memorable experience that you should try when you arrive at Angkor Wat.
Angkor Wat temple travel experience
- Tourists will have to buy an entrance ticket (about 2km from the main temple) to visit the Angkor Wat temple ruins. There are 3 types of tickets currently being applied by the temple management board: one-day tickets, three-day tickets and seven-day tickets.
- Once you have a ticket, you can freely visit this temple during the opening time from 5:00 to 17:30. Angkor Wat temple has a rather special location, this is the only temple in the complex facing the west. Surely you will be “surprised” when looking at this temple at sunrise and sunset.
- Another very important note in the Angkor Wat travel experience is the dress when visiting. This is a sacred place so you need to dress politely and properly. You should wear long clothes, do not wear short clothes, clothes with offensive parts such as tight, torn, etc. If you find that your outfit is not in accordance with the regulations, the security guard here can invite you. out of the temple
- You can use a tuk tuk to be able to go directly into the Angkor complex to take tourists sightseeing, If you want to be free to move, you can rent a bicycle to go inside the complex, don’t be foolish to walk because This place is very large, you can go all day and still not finish.
- Inside the complex, there are temples that are used to sell fast food, soft drinks, souvenirs and places to rest, so you don’t need to bring much food and drink into the sightseeing area.
- You should go with a tour or hire a tour guide to visit the Angkor complex instead of going on your own because you may lose your way.
Above is information about Angkor Wat temple – Wonders of the world and travel experiences you may not know. I Hope you have a meaningful trip and visit.
