Angkor Wat is a large Hindu-Buddhist temple complex in Cambodia built in the 12th century by King Suryavarman II as his state temple and mausoleum. It is located in Siem Reap province and, at 162.6 hectares, is considered the largest religious structure in the world by Guinness World Records. France adopted Cambodia as a protectorate in 1863 partly due to Angkor Wat's artistic legacy, and the temple has since become a major tourist destination, receiving over 2 million visitors annually.

1. Angkor Wat, in Cambodia’s northern province of Siem Reap, is one of the most important
archaeological sites of Southeast Asia.
Angkor Wat (Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត, “City/Capital of Temples”) is a temple complex in Cambodia, located on
a site measuring 162.6 hectares. The Guinness World Records considers it as the largest religious
structure in the world. Originally constructed as a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu for the
Khmer Empire by King Suryavarman second during the 12th century, it was gradually transformed
into a Buddhist temple towards the end of the century; as such, it is also described as a “Hindu-
Buddhist” temple.
Angkor Wat was built at the behest of the Khmer King Suryavarman second in the early 12th century
in Yaśodharapura (Khmer: យសោធរបុរៈ, present-day Angkor), the capital of the Khmer Empire, as his
state temple and eventual mausoleum. Angkor Wat combines two basic plans of Khmer temple
architecture: the temple-mountain and the later galleried temple. It is designed to represent Mount
Meru, home of the devas in Hindu mythology: within a moat more than 5 kilometres (3 long and an
outer wall 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi) long are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. At
the center of the temple stands a quincunx of towers.
In 1861 German anthropologist Adolf Bastian undertook a four-year trip to Southeast Asia. His
account of this trip, The People of East Asia, ran to six volumes.
The artistic legacy of Angkor Wat and other Khmer monuments in the Angkor region led directly to
France adopting Cambodia as a protectorate on 11 August 1863 and invading Siam to take control of
the ruins. This quickly led to Cambodia reclaiming lands in the northwestern corner of the country

2. such as the areas of Siem Reap, Battambang, and Sisophon which were under Siamese rule from
1795 to 1907.
Angkor Wat caught the attention and imagination of a wider audience in Europe when the pavilion of
French protectorate of Cambodia, as part of French Indochina, recreated the life-size replica of
Angkor Wat during Paris Colonial Exposition in 1931.
The temple is a symbol of Cambodia and is a source of national pride that has factored into
Cambodia’s diplomatic relations with France, the United States, and its neighbor Thailand. A
depiction of Angkor Wat has been a part of Cambodian national flags since the introduction of the
first version circa 1863.
Cambodia gained independence from France on 9 November 1953 and has controlled Angkor Wat
since then. From the colonial period onwards, until the site was nominated a UNESCO World
Heritage in 1992, the temple of Angkor Wat was instrumental in the formation of the modern and
gradually globalised concept of built cultural heritage.
Since the 1990, Angkor Wat has become a major tourist destination. In 1993, there were only 7,650
visitors to the site; by 2004, government figures show that 561,000 foreign visitors had arrived in
Siem Reap province that year, approximately 50% of all foreign tourists in Cambodia. The number
reached over a million in 2007, and over two million by 2012. Most visited Angkor Wat, which
received over two million foreign tourists in 2013, and 2.6 million by 2018
Angkor Wat, in Cambodia’s northern province of Siem Reap, is one of the most important
archaeological sites of Southeast Asia.
Angkor Wat (Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត, “City/Capital of Temples”) is a temple complex in Cambodia, located on
a site measuring 162.6 hectares. The Guinness World Records considers it as the largest religious
structure in the world. Originally constructed as a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu for the
Khmer Empire by King Suryavarman second during the 12th century, it was gradually transformed
into a Buddhist temple towards the end of the century; as such, it is also described as a “Hindu-
Buddhist” temple.
Angkor Wat was built at the behest of the Khmer King Suryavarman second in the early 12th century
in Yaśodharapura (Khmer: យសោធរបុរៈ, present-day Angkor), the capital of the Khmer Empire, as his
state temple and eventual mausoleum. Angkor Wat combines two basic plans of Khmer temple
architecture: the temple-mountain and the later galleried temple. It is designed to represent Mount
Meru, home of the devas in Hindu mythology: within a moat more than 5 kilometres (3 long and an

3. outer wall 3.6 kilometers’ (2.2 mi) long are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. At
the centre of the temple stands a quincunx of towers.
In 1861 German anthropologist Adolf Bastian undertook a four-year trip to Southeast Asia. His
account of this trip, The People of East Asia, ran to six volumes.
The artistic legacy of Angkor Wat and other Khmer monuments in the Angkor region led directly to
France adopting Cambodia as a protectorate on 11 August 1863 and invading Siam to take control of
the ruins. This quickly led to Cambodia reclaiming lands in the northwestern corner of the country
such as the areas of Siem Reap, Battambang, and Sisophon which were under Siamese rule from
1795 to 1907.
Angkor Wat caught the attention and imagination of a wider audience in Europe when the pavilion of
French protectorate of Cambodia, as part of French Indochina, recreated the life-size replica of
Angkor Wat during Paris Colonial Exposition in 1931.
The temple is a symbol of Cambodia and is a source of national pride that has factored into
Cambodia’s diplomatic relations with France, the United States, and its neighbour Thailand. A
depiction of Angkor Wat has been a part of Cambodian national flags since the introduction of the
first version circa 1863.
Cambodia gained independence from France on 9 November 1953 and has controlled Angkor Wat
since then. From the colonial period onwards, until the site was nominated a UNESCO World
Heritage in 1992, the temple of Angkor Wat was instrumental in the formation of the modern and
gradually globalised concept of built cultural heritage.
Since the 1990, Angkor Wat has become a major tourist destination. In 1993, there were only 7,650
visitors to the site; by 2004, government figures show that 561,000 foreign visitors had arrived in
Siem Reap province that year, approximately 50% of all foreign tourists in Cambodia. The number
reached over a million in 2007, and over two million by 2012. Most visited Angkor Wat, which
received over two million foreign tourists in 2013, and 2.6 million by 2018.