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Angkor Wat is the most famous temple among those near Siem Reap. It's the largest, most intact, and generally regarded as the most perfect piece of Khmer architecture. Its towers are said to represent the peaks of the mythical Mount Meru.
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Angkor Wat, reflected in a pool in front of it. |
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A view of the entrance gate into Angkor Wat -- beyond it is a moat. |
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A bas-relief of apsaras. |
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The perimeter of the temple is covered with murals, here being meticulously cleaned. The maintenance of Angkor Wat is intermittent, although at least some of the wats in the area have been in continuous use since they were built. The French notion that they had been "lost" and were "discovered" is the same mode of thinking as led to Columbus Day. |
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A detail from one of the murals, a depiction of hell. |
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A library structure located just outside the temple. |
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Ray climbing up to the top level. |
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One of the corner towers. |
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Despite the extremely high ticket prices for the ruins mostly going to a Vietnamese/Japanese oil company and Cambodian legislators, some restoration work continues, mostly sponsored by the Japanese and French governments. |
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A piece of recent graffiti. |
