No photograph nor any material in this web site can be used without my express permission. Acknowledgment is expected.  Many of these photos have been published elsewhere and are fully protected by US copyright laws.

By the tenth century focus of power in Southeast Asia centered on the great lake of Tonle Sap, present day Cambodia. The Khmer people ruled until the fifteenth century.  After the decline of the empire the buildings left behind were affected by neglect and weather conditions.  The civil war of the 1970s, too, affected the ruins.  Today, the Angkor Wat temple cities are being restored by funds supplied by the United Nations.  The French and the Japanese governments, too, are contributing to the process of renovation. The ultimate goal is to bring tourists to the area in order to promote the economy of the country.

The ruins show rich work of art and architecture.  The culture of the region was heavily influenced by the language and religions from India (Hinduism and Buddhism), however, the Khmer modified the inherited Indian contributions and created their own patterns.

The ruins of Angkor Wat are located near the town of Siem Reap between the capital city of Phnom Penh and the border with Thailand to the north-northwest.

Return Home

Return Home

Return Home

Return Home

Return Home

[Home] [Fall 2006] [GTU] [Kyrgyzstan] [Cambodia] [Mongolia]