Temple Angkor Wat ("city-temple"), dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu - the largest cult building in the world. It is a complex three-level structure with a lot of stairs and transitions, topped by five towers. It is not for nothing called the soul of the Khmer people, because Angkor is exactly Khmer art, a great civilization, the heart of the nation. There are about 200 monuments in the territory of more than 400 square kilometers.

Angkor Wat - $

How to get

The temple complex is located 240 km west of Phnom Penh and 6 km north of Siamriapa.

Paragraph history

The complex of religious buildings of Angkor refers to the 10-12 centuries, in those years it was one of the largest cities in the world, and its temples were known far beyond the boundaries of the empire Khmer Rouge . In 1431, the troops of Siam practically destroyed the city, forcing the inhabitants to leave it. $ $. Since then, Angkor and more than 100 palaces and temples that remained after the Siamese troops lurked in the shadow of the lush rainforest . Until the end of the 19th century, the French naturalist Anne Muo did not publish a number of works devoted to Angkor . They say that even Rudyard Kipling wrote his "Jungle Book" about Mowgli after visiting Angkor . In 1992, the temple the complex was taken under the protection of UNESCO . . Temples of Angkor

Phnom Bakheng - one of the first temples built in the Angkor (9-10 cc.), a five-tier structure with a bunch of turrets. In Angkor, other ancient temples have survived: Pre-Han, Preak-Neak-Pean, Ta-Som (12th century), Banteil-Kdey (second half of the 12th century).

Angkor Thom

Angkor -Thom (the "big city") is the citadel of the city, the central part of the temple complex is

Angkor Thom is surrounded by a 100-meter-wide moat and a wall about 8 m high . The citadel was built in the times of Udayadityavarman II (11 century), and after the invasion of the Cham (1181) was restored by King Jayavarmana VII . There are five gates in the wall of Angkor Thom, above which towers towering about 23 m high, decorated with faces bo hysatva . Inside the walls is the three-tier pyramid Bayon, surrounded by 54 towers, the ruins of the Bafuon Temple, the Royal Palace, the temples of Baphuaop and Pimeanakas ("Heavenly Palace"), the Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Lepid King, and the Victory Gate and stone bridges, decorated with images of the gods . . An elephant terrace 350 m high, exactly where Khmer kings watched the ceremonies on the main square of Angkor Thoma, lying in front of the palace.

Another majestic monument is the Baio Temple (not to be confused with the Bayon pyramid) with giant stone statues of Buddha's faces. This three-level building with a base of 140 to 160 m is located to the south-east of the stronghold of Angkor Thom. The temple is decorated with 52 square towers, located on different levels and having different heights, each side of these towers depicts the faces of the Buddha - so that, from wherever the newcomer from the north looks at this building, he always meets the Enlightenment's view.

It is the outlines of Angkor Wat that are depicted on the national flag of Cambodia.

Angkor Wat ("Temple City", 1112-1152) is the temple and mausoleum of King Suryavarman II. The complex consists of a central tower (height 65 m) and the surrounding tower, symbolizing the five peaks of the sacred Mount Meru. The central structure of the temple is a multi-level construction with a multitude of ladders and crossings.

The temple is surrounded by a 190-meter-wide ditch with a length of more than 5, 5 kilometers, it symbolizes the oceans of the world. It is the largest cult building in the world (about 81 hectares).

Prom - temples, absorbed by the jungle

No less interesting is the Pre-Kan monastery with the temples of Nik Pin and Ta-Som (12th century) ). It is worth paying attention to the Banteay-Kde temple, as well as the unique temple complex Ta-Prom, which is practically untouched by the restorers. Other must-see: the complex of the cult pools of Pre-Neak-Pean (late 12th century), the East Bare basin (7 km long and 1, 8 wide) with the island in the middle, the Bakong temple (the first example of the architectural style of the temple-mountain in Khmer art), a temple of pink sandstone Bantray Srey with fantastic bas-reliefs.

• Is it possible to visit Angkor on its own?

Photo of Angkor (11)