Angkor Thom, A monumental testament to ancient ingenuity

There is a road inside Angkor Thom leading to the royal palace

Angkor Wat is full of sculptures of the Four-Faced Buddha

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Introduction

Angkor Wat is one of the most famous archaeological sites in Cambodia, also known as "Great Angkor" or "City of Devaraja". The city walls form a square with a circumference of 14 kilometers, surrounded by moats. There are five gates in the city, four of which lead to the central Bayon Temple and the other leading to the "Victory Gate" of the Royal Palace. Each gate is adorned with four-faced statues of Buddha, facing in all four directions. There are five large bridges across the moats, each adorned with 27 stone statues on each side, totaling 108 kneeling statues, each measuring 2.5 meters tall. On the stone bridge outside the South Gate, there are 54 half-body stone carvings on each side of the railing, representing deities and demons, both holding giant cobra serpents as staffs. It is said that the moat, about a hundred meters wide, used to be home to a large number of crocodiles, serving as a defense against enemies. Within the Angkor Wat complex, there are several famous buildings such as Baphuon, the Sky Palace, the Terrace of the Leper King, the Terrace of the Elephants, Bayon Temple, Ta Prohm, Ta Nei, and Twelve Zodiac Towers, each with its own history and unique characteristics. The East Gate of the city was used as a filming location for the movie "Tomb Raider". These structures feature exquisite stonework, elaborate carvings, and vivid depictions of mythological tales.