Angkor is easy to imagine as a civilisation obsessed with temples. That is what survives most visibly: towers, galleries, stone faces and enormous religious monuments. But under Jayavarman VII, the Khmer state was also building something less spectacular and perhaps even more revealing: hospitals, centres of learning, reservoirs, roads and institutions supported by large networks…
When you stand in front of Angkor Wat, the obvious question is not only who built it, but how anyone managed to build something this large in the 12th century and keep it standing for nearly 900 years. The five towers get most of the attention, but some of the temple’s most impressive engineering is…
Preah Vihear had been sitting in my notes as one of the places for a future trip to Cambodia. I first heard about it from a local guide in Siem Reap after a long day around Angkor. We were discussing where to go once the main temples were already covered, and she suggested Preah Vihear:…