There's a good chance you've ever heard of Angkor Wat or seen a picture of it.
The silhouette of the structure is also on the Cambodian flag. But this one temple is really only part of the story. The Angkor Complex is more than 400 acres, and it's home to nearly three hundred still-standing temples. It's an UNESCO World Heritage Site, and easily one of the top tourist attractions in the entirety of Southeast Asia, seeing over 2.6M annual visitors.
What does Angkor Wat mean?
In Khmer, Angkor means city, and Wat means temple. Angkor Wat is one of the most well known landmarks within the complex and one of the first you see when you enter from the city of Siem Reap, five miles to the south. People also often call the whole complex "Angkor Wat," but so as to avoid confusion, I'll keep calling it the Angkor Complex.
What is the Angkor Complex?
The Khmer (pronounced kah-MER like merry) Empire lasted from 802-1431 and covered most of modern-day Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and about half of Thailand:
The Khmer Empire was Hindu-Buddhist, and one of its most well-known capitals was Angkor. This explains the concentration of temples that can still be seen here. There is a huge lasting impact on the empire in the region. For one, the language of the Empire is now called Old-Khmer, and it's a predecessor to Khmer, which is the official language of Cambodia and a recognized minority language in both Thailand and Vietnam.
What are best temples in the Angkor Complex?
Angkor Wat is definitely the most famous. In addition to being the biggest structure, it is also the most well maintained. This means it's safe for visitors to walk through and get a full experience. We went to Angkor Wat first and spent about two hours walking around. Check out my main post on Angkor Wat here.
In addition to Angkor Wat, we visited Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm. All of the temples are pretty close together, about a 10-15 minute drive max. Angkor Thom is the largest in terms of square footage of the area. It's a 3 by 3-kilometer square, with Bayon Temple in the exact center, 1.5 kms from each entrance. It also features the famous Elephant Terrace just north, and the popular Victory Gate at the east entrance.
Ta Prohm is another very popular temple, especially since the 2001 movie Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. Part of the movie was filmed here, and it is for that reason that this temple is also commonly called Tomb Raider Temple. I think Ta Prohm was my personal favorite. It was the most unexpected, and I found the mix of civilization and nature really interesting. The temple is under constant stress from the trees growing on top of them, and it is likely to collapse at some point if the trees aren't cut down. However, the trees are what makes it so famous, so it's a hard decision and a fascinating moment in a very long history to witness.
Why is Angkor Wat so famous?
The temple known as Angkor Wat is one of the most famous structures in the complex due to the amazing architecture, its size, and age. It was built in the 1100s, making it more than 900 years old. The Angkor Complex as a whole is also the largest religious monument in the world: it's around four times the size of Vatican City! You can't even see the main temple from the entrance. From across the moat, you can only see the entrance:
Why are there moats around the temples?
Another fascinating aspect of the Angkor Complex is the water. The Khmer Empire was an advanced civilization that managed to create a very intricate system of canals used for both irrigation and transportation, and many of it is still intact today. The region was prone to periodic drought and flooding, and the canal system helped mitigate both. It is for this impressive water engineering that Angkor is known as the ancient "Hydraulic City."
The moat around the Angkor Wat temple is the only one I saw still intact. The entire Angkor Complex is on top of a sandy foundation. If you've ever been to a beach, you know that sand is a lot more stable when it is wet. The moat around Angkor Wat has been connected to the Siem Reap River in order to make sure it does not dry up. Other temples are in much worse condition because their moats are dry and their foundations unstable.
When is the best time to visit Angkor Wat, Cambodia?
Regrettably, the weather was absolutely way too hot. It was close to 115° Fahrenheit! Our tour included a driver and an English-speaking guide, and having a driver of a real car (not a tuk tuk) was a necessity. The A/C and cold towels they provided were so helpful in cooling us down between temples. The best time to visit Siem Reap is in December or January. Temperatures can be as low as 22° C or 70° F, which would have been a much more comfortable way to walk around Angkor Wat.
Final Thoughts
Siem Reap was an amazing experience. Everyone we met was really nice, the food was delicious, and the these temples were incredible to see. I can't believe how old they are, especially considering that Angkor Wat is still in great shape. The architectural abilities of people more than 900 years ago, plus the effort to get all the stone to location and dig the moats, is really impressive. It was a wonder to see, and I am so grateful to have had the experience. I loved visiting Cambodia, and I have definitely added Phnom Penh to my list so I can one day go back!