The Lost City: "Angkor Temple"

Besides tourists, many Buddhist monks still visit the temple today to practice their religious beliefs.

In Khmer, “Angkor” means city, and “Wat” means temple, so this place is called the “Temple City.” It truly deserves this name, as it is a temple complex built over an area of 1,626 km². To put this into perspective, this is roughly one-third the size of Istanbul. For this reason, it is the largest religious site in the world.

Angkor Wat, the most visited site by tourists in Cambodia, was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992. However, it gained worldwide recognition and became more popular in 2001, thanks to the movie Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, starring Angelina Jolie.

It's a good thing it gained worldwide recognition because Angkor Wat is also one of Cambodia's most important sources of income. Cambodia ranks 103rd in Gross National Income, while Turkey is 19th (according to IMF 2019 data).

You can evaluate for yourself how rich or poor the country is based on this ranking.

Angkor Wat is located about 6 km from one of Cambodia’s major cities, Siem Reap. However, despite the short distance, some parts of the road are unpaved, so it’s not a quick five-minute trip. During peak tourist seasons, the temple opens early in the morning, around 7:30 AM. Long ticket queues are common. A one-day entrance ticket costs approximately $40. Due to this price, tickets are personalized and non-transferable—your photo is taken and printed directly on the ticket, which is an unusual process compared to most other tourist sites.

The temple was built between 1115 and 1145 AD. Initially, it was a Hindu temple, but in the 13th century, it was converted into a Buddhist temple. After the Khmer Kingdom moved its capital to Phnom Penh in the 14th century, Angkor Wat was abandoned and became engulfed by the jungle. It remained hidden until its rediscovery in 1858. The exact reason for its abandonment is unknown. Interestingly, after being left to nature for nearly 500 years, trees grew all over the temple, intertwining with its structures, creating a rare and mesmerizing sight.

Today, in addition to tourists, many Buddhist monks still visit the temple for religious rituals. However, its true permanent residents remain the monkeys, which can unexpectedly appear as you explore the site.

A Look at Cambodia’s History

Cambodia was a French colony from 1863 to 1953 and was occupied by the Japanese Empire between 1941 and 1945. However, one of the most horrifying periods in Cambodia’s history occurred under the Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot. From 1975 to 1979, this brutal regime ruled the country with an extreme communist ideology, believing that only the peasant class should exist.

Although Pol Pot himself was educated in France, he imposed harsh labor conditions on intellectuals, scientists, artists, and anyone outside the peasant class. Those unable to work or who opposed the regime were executed using medieval torture methods. Even wearing glasses or a watch was forbidden, as it was assumed to signify literacy or intelligence. As a result, an estimated 3.3 million Cambodians were killed during this time. This genocide continued until Vietnam invaded and overthrew the Khmer Rouge. The regime finally collapsed with Pol Pot’s death in 1998.

Despite this tragic past, Cambodians are warm, kind-hearted people. It is hard to believe that such horrors occurred so recently. When a Cambodian I met shared, with teary eyes, how his father was killed, I truly understood how fresh this dark history remains for the people.

If you haven’t had the chance to visit yet, you should definitely add Angkor Wat to your travel list!