Ancient History

The Khmer or Angkor Civilization came into existence during the period from 802 to 1431 A.D. and stretched as far as the modern Thailand-Burma Border in the west and Wat Phou of Laos in the north during its peak. The centre of the Khmer Civilization is in the Angkor Wat area which is situated on the plain of present-day Siem Reap province north of the Great Lake of Tonle Sap.

Angor Wat and the other temples were built to represent the power of the empire. Created by a succession of kings, the temples of Angkor Tom (which includes Angkor Wat) span nine square km. Jayavarman VII, the son of Suryavarman II, who built Angkor Wat itself, built most of the temples during his reign from 1181-1220.

Angkor Wat and its then surrounding City of Angkor, flourished and the ancient Khmer rulers developed a water irrigation system here using the water from the mighty Mekong River. Unfortunately after centuries of power and successful rule the Khmer civilization slowly disintegrated some 5,000 years ago.

It is without a doubt that the ancient Khmers were great stone masons and carvers. (Most of the temples are made largely of laterite, a volcanic stone.) Evidence of this can be seen at the various Angkor temples lying on the vast plain of Siem Reap (or at Preah Vihear in the Dangrek Mountains, Phnomrung and Phimai in Thailand and Wat Phu in Laos).

The study of Khmer civilization in depth is a painstaking process as many of the ancient writings, inscriptions and carvings have weathered over time. One thing that is obvious though, is that the Khmer were mainly concerned with religious rituals and literature of Indian epics of "Ramayana" and "Mahabharata". Art found in the temples glorify the Hindu gods, Hanuman (monkey god), Vishnu (creator god and Shiva (god of war). Later, because Jayavarman VII's wife was Buddhist, images of Buddha and the Bodhisattva began to appear. Little has been found at the ruins themselves about the ordinary life of the local people.

To gather this information one needs to look, not at the Khmer themselves, but old Chinese history books.

In the middle of 13th century during Chinese Yuan Dynasty, a Chinese ambassador named Zhou Daguan travelled to Angkor, stayed with the local villagers and explored the empire for a year before his return. He wrote a chronicle about his travels and explains vividly how the people lived with a clear portrayal of the Khmer society during those days.

Throughout the course of Khmer history, leadership was often attained by bloodshed. There were successive capitals built by different kings in the region, not far from each other; these capitals are in the area of Angkor Wat and Roluos such as Harihalara, Yasodharapura, Jayendanagari, Angkor Thom and a few others.

A brief run down on recent history

In the 1860's, Cambodia was colonized by France, but was granted independence in 1953. King Norodom Sihanouk ruled the country until he was overthrown by the Khmer Rouge with Pol Pot as it's leader. They set about restructuring Cambodian society and all but destroyed it in the end. Vietnam invaded the country in 1978, forced Pol Pot to flee, and installed Hun Sen as prime minister.

Hun Sen has fought to keep power and implement reform. King Sihanouk is still king, but his power is largely ceremonial and his son Ranariddh is head of the senate.

The country is now beginning to flourish once more. A slow, somewhat unsteady path lies ahead. Her infrastructure is being re-developed, tourism is returning and Angkor Wat is once more on the lips of the world's nations and continues to be the place to visit. Discover Cambodia and Siem Reap's history for yourself and be touched by her ancient charm.