The Royal Palace, Angkor Thom

Welcome to Cambodia, a nation historically referred to as the Golden Land, and welcome specifically to the breathtaking Angkor Archaeological Park. You are standing on the threshold of one of the most significant archaeological…

We begin our physical entry into the Great Capital at the magnificent South Gate. Angkor Thom was heavily fortified, surrounded by a massive protective wall that stretches for an astonishing twelve kilometers around the perimeter. …

Having passed through the ancient defensive walls, we have now traveled straight into the exact geographic center of Angkor Thom to witness one of the most surreal and spectacular architectural achievements on Earth: the Bayon…

Just two hundred meters to the west of the Bayon, we arrive at a structure that is slightly older, yet equally staggering in its sheer physical presence: the massive Baphuon Temple. Before King Jayavarman the Seventh built the…

We now step away from the towering temple mountains and cross an invisible boundary into what was once the most exclusive and powerful space in the entire Khmer Empire: the Royal Palace Enclosure. You are now standing in the…

Rising sharply from the center of the Royal Palace Enclosure is the strikingly steep, stepped pyramid known as Phimeanakas. Constructed in the tenth century, significantly earlier than the surrounding walls of Angkor Thom, this…

Just a short distance from the towering steps of Phimeanakas, hidden within the quiet embrace of the palace grounds, we find the remains of the Royal Bathing Ponds. As we approach these large, sunken rectangular depressions in…

Emerging from the shaded interior of the Royal Palace grounds, we step out into a massive, blindingly bright open space known as the Royal Square. Stretching impressively out before us along the eastern edge of the palace wall is…

Just a short walk straight north from the Terrace of the Elephants, the grand, sweeping architecture of the parade grounds suddenly gives way to something much darker, more enclosed, and deeply mysterious: the Terrace of the…

For our final stop within the boundaries of the great capital, we will retreat into the quiet, deeply shaded northwest corner of the Angkor Thom complex to discover the enchanting ruins of Preah Palilay Temple. After the blazing…

As our journey through the magnificent Royal Palace and the Great Capital of Angkor Thom comes to a close, it is crucial to reflect on how such an incredibly advanced, immensely powerful empire eventually succumbed to ruin. The…