Cambodia Galleries

Highlights from Cambodia : This is a selection of some of the highlights from the photographs taken in Vietnam. To explore the full set of photos, please visit the Cambodia galleries.

Highlights from Cambodia

This is a selection of some of the highlights from the photographs tak ...

Updated: Feb 15, 2009 8:47am PST

Tonle Sap River (Great Lake) : The Tonlé Sap, i.e., large body of water (Cambodian meaning "Large Fresh Water River," but more commonly translated as "Great Lake") is a combined lake and river system of huge importance to Cambodia. It is the largest freshwater lake in South East Asia and is an ecological hot spot that was designated as a UNESCO biosphere in 1997. The Tonlé Sap is unusual for two reasons: 1) its flow changes direction twice a year, and 2) the portion that forms the lake expands and shrinks dramatically with the seasons. From November to May, Cambodia's dry season, the Tonlé Sap drains into the Mekong River at Phnom Penh. However, when the year's heavy rains begin in June, the Tonlé Sap backs up to form an enormous lake. (from Wikipedia)

Tonle Sap River (Great Lake)

The Tonlé Sap, i.e., large body of water (Cambodian meaning "Large Fr ...

Updated: Feb 04, 2009 7:25pm PST

Angkor Wat : Angkor Wat is a temple complex at Angkor, Cambodia, built for the king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation—first Hindu, dedicated to Vishnu, then Buddhist. The temple is the epitome of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag, and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors. (from Wikipedia)

Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat is a temple complex at Angkor, Cambodia, built for the king ...

Updated: Feb 04, 2009 6:43pm PST

Angkor Thom : Angkor Thom was the last and most enduring capital city of the Khmer empire. It was established in the late twelfth century by king Jayavarman VII. It covers an area of 9 km², within which are located several monuments from earlier eras as well as those established by Jayavarman and his successors. At the centre of the city is Jayavarman's state temple, the Bayon, with the other major sites clustered around the Victory Square immediately to the north. (from Wikipedia)

Angkor Thom

Angkor Thom was the last and most enduring capital city of the Khmer e ...

Updated: Feb 04, 2009 6:53pm PST

Ta Prohm : Ta Prohm is the modern name of a temple at Angkor, Cambodia, built in the Bayon style largely in the late 12th and early 13th centuries and originally called Rajavihara. It was founded by the Khmer King Jayavarman VII as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Ta Prohm has been left in much the same condition in which it was found: the photogenic and atmospheric combination of trees growing out of the ruins and the jungle surroundings have made it one of Angkor's most popular temples with visitors. (from Wikipedia)

Ta Prohm

Ta Prohm is the modern name of a temple at Angkor, Cambodia, built in ...

Updated: Feb 04, 2009 6:49pm PST

Beng Mealea : Beng Mealea is a temple built during the reign of King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century. Smaller in size than Angkor Wat, the king's main monument, Beng Mealea nonetheless ranks among the Khmer empire's larger temples. It is largely unrestored, with trees and thick brush thriving amidst its towers and courtyards and many of its stones lying in great heaps. For years it was difficult to reach, but a road recently built to the temple complex of Koh Ker passes Beng Mealea and more visitors are coming to the site. (from Wikipedia)

Beng Mealea

Beng Mealea is a temple built during the reign of King Suryavarman II ...

Updated: Feb 04, 2009 7:49pm PST

Banteay Srei : Banteay Srei is a 10th century Cambodian temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Located in the area of Angkor in Cambodia, Banteay Srei is built largely of red sandstone, a medium that lends itself to the elaborate decorative wall carvings which are still observable today. The buildings themselves are miniature in scale, unusually so when measured by the standards of Angkorian construction. These factors have made the temple extremely popular, and have led to its being widely praised as a "precious gem", or the "jewel of Khmer art." (from Wikipedia)

Banteay Srei

Banteay Srei is a 10th century Cambodian temple dedicated to the Hindu ...

Updated: Feb 04, 2009 7:03pm PST

Bayon : The Bayon is a well-known and richly decorated Khmer temple at Angkor in Cambodia. Built in the late 12th century or early 13th century as the official state temple of the Mahayana Buddhist King Jayavarman VII, the Bayon stands at the centre of Jayavarman's capital, Angkor Thom. The Bayon's most distinctive feature is the multitude of serene and massive stone faces on the many towers which jut out from the upper terrace and cluster around its central peak. The temple is known also for two impressive sets of bas-reliefs, which present an unusual combination of mythological, historical, and mundane scenes. (from Wikipedia)

Bayon

The Bayon is a well-known and richly decorated Khmer temple at Angkor ...

Updated: Feb 15, 2009 8:15am PST

Phnom Bakheng : Phnom Bakheng at Angkor, Cambodia, is a Hindu temple in the form of a temple mountain. Dedicated to Shiva, it was built at the end of the 9th century, during the reign of King Yasovarman (889-910 A.D.). Located atop a hill, it is nowadays a popular tourist spot for sunset views of the much bigger temple Angkor Wat, which lies amid the jungle about 1.5 km to the southeast. The large number of visitors makes Phnom Bakheng one of the most threatened monuments of Angkor. (from Wikipedia)

Phnom Bakheng

Phnom Bakheng at Angkor, Cambodia, is a Hindu temple in the form of a ...

Updated: Feb 04, 2009 8:20am PST

Baphuon, Phimenakas & Royal Plaza : The Baphuon is located in Angkor Thom, northwest of the Bayon. Built in the mid-11th century, it is a three-tiered temple mountain built as the state temple of Udayadityavarman II dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva. It is the archetype of the Baphuon style. In the late 15th century, the Baphuon was converted to a Buddhist temple. A 9 meter tall by 70 meter long statue of a reclining Buddha was built on the west side's second level, which probably required the demolition of the 8 meter tower above, thus explaining its current absence. The temple was built on land filled with sand, and due to its immense size the site was unstable throughout its history. Large portions had probably already collapsed by the time the Buddha was added. (from Wikipedia) (Also see Phimeanakas)

Baphuon, Phimenakas & Royal Plaza

The Baphuon is located in Angkor Thom, northwest of the Bayon. Built i ...

Updated: Feb 04, 2009 7:08pm PST

Pre Rup : Pre Rup, built as the state temple of King Rajendravarman and dedicated in 961 or 962, is a temple mountain of combined brick, laterite and sandstone construction. Pre Rup was dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Its extensive laterite and brick give it a pleasing reddish tone that is heightened by early morning and late afternoon sunlight. (from Wikipedia)

Pre Rup

Pre Rup, built as the state temple of King Rajendravarman and dedicate ...

Updated: Feb 04, 2009 7:10pm PST

Srah Srang : Srah Srang is a baray located south of the East Baray and east of Banteay Kdei. It was constructed in the mid-10th century, and modified in the 12th or 13th century. The landing stage at the west end of the baray, opposite the entrance to Banteay Kdei, is a popular site for viewing the sunrise. (from Wikipedia)

Srah Srang

Srah Srang is a baray located south of the East Baray and east of Bant ...

Updated: Feb 04, 2009 7:11pm PST

Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor : Grand Hotel D Angkor was first established in 1931 and provided accommodation for the wave of travellers for whom the Angkor Temples was an obligatory stopover. Reopened in 1997 after a restoration and refurbishment program by Raffles International, the hotel resumes its position as the premier resort hotel in Cambodia. A grand historic hotel, it is the place to stay in when visiting Angkor and is a destination unto itself. Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor.

Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor

Grand Hotel D Angkor was first established in 1931 and provided accomm ...

Updated: Mar 15, 2009 7:44am PST

Siem Reap : Siem Reap City is the capital of Siem Reap Province, Cambodia. Siem Reap has colonial and Chinese-style architecture in the Old French Quarter, and around the Old Market. In town, there are Apsara dance performances, craft shops, silk farms, rice-paddy countryside, fishing villages and a bird sanctuary near the Tonle Sap Lake. (from Wikipedia)

Siem Reap

Siem Reap City is the capital of Siem Reap Province, Cambodia. Siem Re ...

Updated: Feb 04, 2009 7:22pm PST

© All images by Nelson Lau