Temple complex of Sambor Prei Kuk
$ 250
per person
Under the guidance of a professional archaeologist visit the pre-Angkorian temples of Sambor Prei Kuk. Immersed in peace and silence, in the middle of the forest, they constitute a beautiful attraction away from more crowded tourist areas.
The mainly octogonal temples were built of bricks on the site of ancient Ishanapura, which was the capital of the Chenla Empire that flourished over much of Southeast Asia in the late 6th and early 7th centuries AD. Inscriptions in Sanskrit and old Khmer on some of the temples suggest the centralized state was run by a “God-King”.
Sambor Prei Kuk is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Full-day tour from Siem Reap.
Visit of the archaeological site of Sambor Prei Kuk, identified as Ishanapura, the capital of the Chenla Empire that flourished in the late 6th and early 7th centuries AD. The property comprises more than a hundred temples, ten of which are octagonal and as such constitute a unique architectural feature in South-East Asia. Decorated sandstone elements in the site are characteristic of the pre-Angkor decorative idiom, known as the Sambor Prei Kuk Style. Some of these elements, including lintels, pediments and colonnades, are true masterpieces. The art and architecture developed here became models for other parts of the region and layid the ground for the unique Khmer style of the Angkor period.
En route back to Siem Reap, stop for a visit of Spean Kampong Kdei (Kampong Kdei bridge) built in the late 12th or early 13th century in the Bayon period. This bridge, which is 86 meters in length and 16 meters in width, stands 10-meter high over the river.
