Hey everyone, welcome to World Heritage Journey.
Today we're at Sambor Prei Kuk in Cambodia.
So this is an ancient Hindu temple complex that dates from the 6th century AD.
It pre-dates both Angkor Wat and the Khmer empire, which is actually really unusual in
this part of the world.
It's tucked away in a beautiful section of the jungle, so let's check it out.
Sambor Prei Kuk was once the city of Ishanapura, capital of the Chenla Empire.
Dating back to the 6th and 7th centuries AD, the Chenla Empire ruled much of modern-day
Cambodia before eventually being conquered by the Khmer.
These days, the site consists chiefly of three ruined temple complexes: North Group, Central
Group, and Southern Group.
Although some of the shrines and temples have fallen completely into ruin and are basically
just piles of rubble, others are in impressive condition, especially when you consider their
age.
These temples are, after all, almost 1500 years old!
One of the most impressive was the lion temple, where each of the four entrances was once
flanked by a pair of lion statues, though these days only a single pair remains.
Also incredible is an area of the southern group which has detailed carvings of what
archaeologists call Hellenistic-style faces, suggesting there may have been contact between
the Chenla and ancient Europeans.
This group also included several inscriptions from Chenla kings, and since the inscriptions
are dated using Hindu calendars they can be dated very precisely!
We also really enjoyed the large temples of the northern group, which were probably in
the best condition and with the most detailed carvings.
As with other Hindu temple complexes in south-east Asia, this site was gradually abandoned as
Buddhism became the dominant local religion, and the site was eventually reclaimed by the
jungle and only rediscovered in the 20th century.
Sadly, as with many of the sites we've visited in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, Sambor Prei
Kuk suffered damage from both American bombs during the Vietnam war, and later damage during
the Cambodian civil war as well.
The site has only been fully cleared of unexploded bombs and mines in the last
couple of years, which is quite a sobering thought.