TEMPLES OF ANGKOR

 TEMPLES OF ANGKOR

The temples of Angkor were built between the 9th and 14th centuries, when Khmer civilization was at the height of its extraordinary creativity. Unparalleled in South-East Asia - though the temples of Bagan in Myanmar (Burma) are a close runner-up - Angkor rates among the foremost architectural wonders of the world.

From Angkor, the kings of the mighty Khmer empire ruled over a vast territory that extended from the tip of what is now southern Vietnam north to Yunnan in China and from Vietnam west to the Bay of Bengal. Angkor's 100 or so temples constitute the sacred skeleton of a spectacular administrative and religious centre. Its houses, public buildings and palaces were constructed of wood - now long decayed - because the right to dwell in structures of brick or stone was reserved for the gods.

It is easy to spend a week or more at Angkor, seeing the temples at a leisurely pace, perhaps returning to the main attractions several times to see them in different light conditions. Many travelers feel that about four or five days is the optimum length of time to spend before saturation starts to set in. Even with only two days at your disposal, however, you can get a lot of sightseeing done providing you get an early start in the mornings. If your time is limited and you only have one day to tour the Angkor complex, it would probably be best to organize a tour to get the most out of the day.