Phnom Penh.
Phnom Penh is the capital of Cambodia. The main attractions of the city are the Royal Palace (1866), the Silver Pagoda, one of the most important in Phnom Penh, the Wat Phnom temple, the National Museum of Art, the Tul Sleng Genocide Museum, the Hindu temple of Tonle Bati. The Killing Fields are located 13 km from the capital, where half of the Potovites killed prisoners sentenced to death. Funnels from excavated mass graves have been preserved. In the center is a memorial stupa filled to the brim with human skulls and bones. To the south of the capital is the town of Tonle Bati with a temple built in the 12th century.
Angkor.
Angkor, the ancient capital of Cambodia, is the most spectacular attraction of the country. The old city is located 6 km from Siem Reap, north of Tonle Sap Lake.
According to Top-mba-universities, Cambodia.Angkor includes a unique complex of 70 temples, palaces, reservoirs and diversion channels. The complex was built in the 11th – 12th centuries, at a time when the Khmer state extended its influence to the whole of Indochina. The remains of Angkor occupy an area of about 200 square meters. km. In Angkor, you can see the ruins of the capitals of Yashodharapur (founded at the end of the 9th century) and Angkor Thom (the end of the 12th-13th centuries), stone terraces – the plinths of wooden palaces, Brahminist and Buddhist “temple-mountains” in the form of stepped pyramids and extensive temples. ensembles – in total, about 100 palaces and temples have been preserved here.
The largest ensemble is Angkor Wat. It was built in 1112 – 1152. and is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. Angkor Wat is the largest religious building in the world. Angkor Wat has survived much better than many other buildings of Angkor, which is explained by the fact that even after the desolation of these places, Buddhist monks lived in Angkor Wat. They live here and now. The complex is distinguished by the geometric rigor of the plan and the harmony of the composition.
The second symbol of Angkor is the Bayon temple with giant stone sculptures of Buddha’s faces. The Bayon is decorated with 53 square towers, on each side of which the face of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara is depicted, and in such a way that wherever you are, these faces “look” at you. Not far from Bayon is Elephant Terrace., from which the Khmer kings watched the ceremonies on the main square of Angkor Thom, which lies in front of the palace. The terrace is decorated with numerous bas-reliefs, very well preserved, depicting deities, battle scenes and elephants.
Terrace of the Leper King got its name from the statue of the leper king on the platform. Now there is a copy here, and the original is in the national museum in Phnom Penh. The name of the leper king is shrouded in mystery. The theory that it was Jayavarman VII and that is why he built many hospitals did not find historical support. Some historians claim that the statue depicts Kabera, the god of wealth, or Yasovarman I, both of whom were supposedly lepers. Another version is that the statue got its name because of the lichen that grows on it.
Angkor Thom Temple is located 1.7 km north of Angkor Wat. This is the central part of the city. The name “Angkor Thom” means “Big City”. Angkor Thom was built between 1181-1210. after Angkor was taken and plundered by the Chams in 1181. Ta Keo (Ta Keo) – one of the largest and tallest buildings in the temple-mountain style. Its construction was not completed. Had Ta Keo been completed it would have been one of the finest temples in Angkor. The temple is 32 meters high. The lack of decoration gives it purity and freshness. Ta Keo is an exact copy of the sacred Mount Meru, with a rectangular base and five square towers.
The temple of Ta Prohm (Ta Prohm) was not specially cleared of the jungle and appears in the form in which the French saw it. Towers, literally torn apart by tree trunks, statues of gods entwined with branches of lianas, and roofs of galleries, crushed under the weight of huge roots – this is what this temple looks like today.
Preah Neak Pean Temple has an interesting composition: around a large square pool there are four much smaller pools, strictly oriented to the cardinal points. In the center of the main pool on an artificial island is a small temple, and next to it is a statue of an animal in the spirit of Salvador Dali.
East and West Baray (Baray) are artificial reservoirs, striking in their size (7 km by 1.8 km and 8 km by 2.3 km, respectively). They were dug to supply the city with water during the dry season. Both bodies of water were fed by the water of the Siem Reap River. flowing through Angkor. In the middle of each of these reservoirs is an artificial island, on which rises a small temple – Mebon. At present, only a small part of Western Barey is filled with water; East Barey is completely dry.
To study in detail the temples of Angkor, it is advisable to take a week and inspect 2-3 temples a day. If you do not have such time, then you can just wander around the territory and admire their impressive architecture.
Angkor can be visited at any time of the year, however, the most favorable time is from November to March, when the dry season lasts in the country. In the morning it is better to go out early and look around until 11 o’clock, and in the afternoon – not earlier than 3 – 4, since most of the monuments look worse against the light. A very beautiful sight is the sunset at the temple of Angkor Wat.
Kampong Vol.
In this city, Sambo Preu Kuk (Sambor Prei Kuk) is a group of temples from before the Angkor period. It was here that the capital of the state of Chenla Water was located. Not only the architecture of the temples is striking, but also the jungle around, literally merged with the temples.
Floating villages.
On Tonle Sap Lake, the largest in the country, there are two floating villages – Phnom Krom in the south and Kampong Luong in the north. Homes, schools, karaoke bars and restaurants are built on surfaces mounted on boats. Boats move slowly along the river, rising and falling 5 km at high and low tide. The population of the villages is mostly Vietnamese. The main occupation of the inhabitants is fishing. Men fish and women sew nets.
Skuon.
In this small town, located 60 km north of Phnom Penh. Tourists come here for the sole purpose of tasting the poisonous “aping” spiders that abound in the jungle around the town. Locals catch them by the hundreds and fry them with garlic and salt. Spiders taste like overcooked chicken and are safe for your stomach.
River tours.
Tours along the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers are becoming increasingly popular, being almost the only opportunity to see white freshwater dolphins in the Kratie area. From Sihanoukville, you can go on short expeditions along the Tolne Prei, Tonle Chhai rivers, or take a motorboat down the Prek Tuk Sap river to the sea. National parks. In Cambodia gradually begins to develop a network of national parks, equipped with everything necessary for a good rest. The most interesting in this sense are the Ream and Bokor parks on the south coast. Ream was opened in 1993 and covers an area of about 20 thousand hectares, of which 6 thousand are sea waters. Here you can see several ecosystems at once – coasts, mangroves, tropical forests. There are 155 species of birds and monkeys in the park, and from December to February, you can see a white freshwater dolphin in the river waters. A tour is organized in the reserve by boat on the river Prek Tuk Sap to the point of its confluence with the sea. The path passes through mangroves where you can admire tropical birds. On the way, a stop is made for a walk through the thickets, in a fishing village, on Koh Som Poch beach, where you can swim, sunbathe and snorkel. You can also climb the Mount of Adoration, from the top of which you can see the entire park. Bokor is recommended to visit all lovers of extreme travel. Bokor – 140 thousand hectares of primary jungle and mountain savannas located in the Elephant Mountains. In the jungle you can make a hike with an overnight stay in hammocks. Under the guidance of an experienced instructor, you can take a short jungle survival course.
