- TURY.CLUB
- Tourist Objects
- Cambodia
- Siem Reap Province
- Angkor Thom
The city of Angkor Thom became the last capital of the Khmer Empire and remained in this capacity longer than all other capitals. Founded at the end of the 12th century by King Jayavarman VII, Angkor Thom ("Great City") covers an area of 9 square kilometers, within which there are several monuments from previous eras, as well as those erected by Jayavarman himself and his successors.
The fortified city of Angkor Thom was built by the greatest king of the Khmer Empire, Jayavarman VII (reign: 1181-1219). The center of the city is the Bayon Temple. The surrounding square wall is 8 meters high in the main part, and 12 meters is the height of the gates on each side of the compass (one gate in the north, south and west, and two in the east).
In front of each gate there are 54 giant statues of gods (to the left of the road) and 54 statues of demons (to the right of the road). This motif is taken from the myth of the mixing of the ocean of milk, which is best shown in one of the bas-reliefs of Angkor Wat. In the center of the walled area are the most important monuments of the city, including Bayon, Bapon, the enclosure of the Royal Palace, Pimeanakas, the Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper King.
