Siem Reap Blog | Siem Reap Travel Guide

The What of Angkor Wat

January 6, 2014 By // by Sarah Cruz Leave a Comment

Angkor Wat is one of the most recognized names commonly associated to the country of Cambodia. Basically, there are at least three things that you should know about Angkor Wat. Firstly, Angkor Wat is indeed one of the most beautiful places on earth and may be the most glorious place in Cambodia. Two, the Angkor Wat temples are some of the largest temples you shall ever see. And last, none of the temples are homogeneous as each temple was erected in different times within a period spanning four centuries.

The Angkor Wat or City Temple is a vast temple complex found near Siem Reap. It was put together in the 12th Century by the Khmer Kings in over four centuries. Initially, it was constructed as a royal and sacred temple for a deity of the Hindus. When the city of Angkor fell into the hands of invaders, Angkor Wat was hidden and abandoned in the forest. Due to many folklore accounts and stories, the “Lost City” attracted the interest of the Europeans in the 1800s when Cambodia was colonized by the French. It was only rediscovered less than a century ago by a French man. …

The Twisted Masterpiece of the Ta Prohm

January 6, 2014 By // by Sarah Cruz Leave a Comment

According to the Lonely Planet Cambodia, if the Angkor Wat and the Bayon Temple are testimonies to the brilliance of ancient Khmers, the Ta Prohm is a testament to the equally powerful jungles of Cambodia.

Although people are usually familiar only with well-known temples such as Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom, there are many other smaller yet equally gorgeous temples around the area, one of which is the Ta Prohm. Directly translated to the Tree-Strangled Temple, this temple is around 800 years old and is filled with enormous and beautiful trees making it a great example of nature and manmade structures intertwined into one. …

Faces of the Bayon Temple

January 6, 2014 By // by Sarah Cruz Leave a Comment

The Bayon Temple is found at the center of the famous Angkor Thom and is one of the most admired sites in the Angkor complex. The temple is best known today for its huge face sculptures that adorn its 34 surviving towers that were originally 54 in number.

Built during the late 12th and early 13th Century by King Jayavarman, the architectural structure of the Bayon exudes grandeur in every aspect. Over 200 huge faces are carved in the 54 towers that give the temple its imposing character. The 54 towers are said to represent the 54 provinces at the time. Some think that the 54 towers symbolize the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara in keeping with the Buddhist character of the temple, which means there should be at least four faces on each of the towers. The faces are also said to be images of King Jayavarman VII, signifying his ultimate omnipresence. Truth is, the reason for the considerable number of faces remains a mystery. Some have tried to put some significance into the faces but many parts of the temple that remain in disrepair have made the precise reasons rather difficult to determine. …

Capturing Culture at the Cambodian Cultural Village

January 6, 2014 By // by Sarah Cruz Leave a Comment

Cambodia is one of the oldest countries in Southeast Asia that is filled with old traditions and cultures. Astonishingly, documents of this profound culture and history are seen engraved on the walls of many of its temples, which goes to show the romance of the country of Cambodia. Since Cambodian people are known to have such a rich history and unique lifestyle, the Cambodian Cultural Village puts on a great display of such accounts in the form of miniatures, traditional shows, historical items and a museum.

Cultural Village in Siem Reap – Cambodia

The village has representations of 11 different villages of Cambodia with each having its own architectural style and creativity. At each village, there are distinct traditional dance performances, ceremonies, games and night shows that are regularly performed. …

The Walled City of Angkor Thom

January 6, 2014 By // by Sarah Cruz Leave a Comment

When Angkor Thom is directly translated, is means the “great city” in Khmer. This royal Buddhist city from the 12th Century is famed because of the grand Temple of Bayon. Aside from the Bayon Temple, it has several other sights of interest as well. Angkor Thom was initiated by Jayavarman VII, known to be Angkor’s most famous and greatest king who reigned from 1181 to 1219. He came to power after the fall of the prior Khmer capital by the Chams. During the height of his reign as king, the city had about a million people residing in the metropolis and its surrounding areas.

The city was built in a nearly perfect and neat square. All of its sides were protected by a square wall called jayagiri that stood at 8 meters high and stretched to 12 kilometers in length. It was also further protected by a 100-meter moat said to contain vicious crocodiles. Today, the moat remains dry. …

Revealing the Legend of the Angkor National Museum

January 6, 2014 By // by Sarah Cruz Leave a Comment

The Angkor National Museum is the only museum that features the great aspects of the lost Khmer Kingdom. The museum plays a useful role in telling the story of Angkor in such a hi-tech and unique way. Visiting the Museum is indeed a worthwhile experience, especially if travelers of Siem Reap want to have a deeper understanding of the Angkor context.

Angkor National Museum in Siem Reap – Cambodia

The museum is a profound cultural landmark and it takes up an area of around 20,000 square meters. This world-class museum reveals the legend of the Golden Era of the Khmer Kingdom. But what makes this museum especially unusual is that the museum is attached to a museum mall. The Museum Mall is a lifestyle landmark that provides facilities and recreational services for the entertainment of both the local community and tourists. …