Angkor Wat, near the modern city of Siem Reap in Cambodia, is much more than a temple. It is the most famous remnant of the once mighty Khmer Empire, which ruled almost all of Southeast Asia – from Myanmar to Vietnam – in the Middle Ages. Considered one of the most important archaeological structures in the world, the temple is a masterpiece of architecture, religion and symbolism. Surrounded by dense jungle, moats and other temples, Angkor Wat still attracts visitors from all over the world.
The Khmer Empire and its capital
From the 9th to the 15th century, the Khmer Empire was one of the most powerful and advanced civilisations in Southeast Asia. Its rulers controlled an area that at times stretched from southern Vietnam through much of Thailand and Laos to Myanmar and Malaysia. The centre of the empire was Angkor – a vast urban metropolis with an infrastructure far ahead of its time.
Culturally, the empire was strongly influenced by India: Sanskrit, Hindu gods and, later, Buddhism found their way into architecture, art and society. The Khmer kings saw themselves as god-like rulers – their buildings were designed not only to demonstrate their power, but also to ensure a divine afterlife. This is how Angkor Wat came to be: a temple that unites heaven and earth, built for eternity. Built in the 12th century under King Suryavarman II, it is still the largest religious building in the world.
The construction of Angkor Wat – A mystery of history
Construction of Angkor Wat began around 1113 and was completed in around 37 years – an astonishing achievement given the size and attention to detail of the complex. More than 10 million sandstone blocks were used, although the nearest known quarry is some 50 kilometres away. Experts believe the stones were transported by water. In some cases, special canals were built for this purpose. Ramps and scaffolding may also have been used to position the heavy blocks.
Around 100,000 workers, including craftsmen, artists, stonemasons and helpers, are said to have been involved in the construction. The precision with which the reliefs, figures and columns were carved into the extremely hard sandstone remains a mystery. In addition, the reliefs, elaborate figures and fine engravings had to be chiselled with breathtaking precision on site into the stones that had already been used – a masterpiece whose perfection still impresses experts today. Despite the enormous challenges, the temple was completed in record time – a still unexplained miracle of building history.
Symbolism and architecture
Angkor Wat was built in honour of the Hindu god Vishnu, which is unusual as most temples are dedicated to Shiva. The whole complex follows a strict cosmological concept: the five towers in the centre represent the five peaks of the sacred Mount Meru, the mythical centre of the universe in the Hindu imagination. The three concentric enclosures represent the different levels of the celestial world, and the moat symbolises the cosmic ocean that separates the world of the gods from the world of human beings.
The temple was intended to be an image of heaven on earth – a link between the spiritual and earthly worlds. King Suryavarman II had it built as the site of his posthumous deification, inspired by the Hindu concept of divine kingship.
The fall of Angkor
The city of Angkor, which once surrounded the temple, was built of perishable materials such as wood. Today there is nothing left of it – the jungle has reclaimed it all. Yet Angkor was one of the largest metropolises of its time, with hundreds of thousands of inhabitants. The organisation of this city was based on an ingenious system of water channels, reservoirs and dams, used for both supply and ritual purposes. The remains of this vast infrastructure are still visible today and bear witness to the technological sophistication of the Khmer.
Despite its former size and importance, Angkor was gradually abandoned in the 15th century. The exact reasons for the city’s decline are still not fully understood. It was probably a combination of factors: climate change, floods, enemy attacks, political instability and mass migration may have led to the abandonment of the capital. Unlike other lost civilisations, the fall of Angkor is thought to have occurred over several decades rather than suddenly.
Rediscovery
After centuries of being lost in the dense jungle, Angkor was largely forgotten outside Cambodia. It was not until the 19th century, during French colonial expeditions, that the naturalist Henri Mouhot brought Angkor Wat back to the attention of the Western world. In 1860, Mouhot described the temple complex as something the ancient Egyptians or Romans must have built, so impressed was he by its size and complexity.
Extensive research and restoration work began in the following decades. Political unrest, particularly the Khmer Rouge’s reign of terror in the 1970s, brought work to a temporary halt. During this time, many archaeological projects were halted, some temples were severely damaged and countless works of art were looted.
Today's significance of Angkor Wat
Despite the challenges, Angkor Wat has remained an enduring symbol of Cambodian identity. Not only is the temple the most recognisable national landmark, but it still adorns the country’s flag – a globally unique feature. For many Cambodians, Angkor Wat symbolises the pride, cultural greatness and spiritual heritage of their people.
Today, the temple is the centre of Cambodian tourism, attracting millions of visitors every year. The complex has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992 and is one of the most visited cultural monuments in Southeast Asia. Sustainable tourism, international cooperation and modern restoration techniques have made it possible to preserve the architectural heritage in the long term.
Angkor Wat is also becoming increasingly important for research. New technologies such as laser scanning (LIDAR) have revealed that the dense jungle hides an extensive urban system – with roads, irrigation canals and neighbourhoods that once supported millions of people. Today, these findings shed even more historical light on Angkor, not just as a temple, but as the centre of a highly complex civilisation.
Angkor Wat is a place where myth, history and architecture come together in a unique way. It is a window into a bygone world where gods, kings and ordinary people worked together to create one of the most complex civilisations of its time. To walk through the corridors of this temple today is to enter not just a building of stone, but a monument to a quest for the divine that has outlasted history.
