Angkor Wat
Khmer stone complex
Angkor Wat is a massive temple complex in Cambodia, built in the 12th century and originally dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu before becoming Buddhist.
It remains the largest religious structure in the world and appears on Cambodia's national flag.
The name means "temple city" in Khmer.
We visited Angkor Wat at sunrise.
Cambodia's dominant ethnic group
- Phnom PenhCambodia's seat of government
- MekongMajor Southeast Asian river
- apsaraDivine dancer of heaven
- KampucheaFormer Cambodian name
Sacred worship structure
- pilgrimageReligious journey to shrine
- worshipReligious reverence and praise
- sacredWorthy of reverence
- shrineSacred devotional place
monks · Buddhist · meditation · sanctuary · prayer · ritual · devotion · blessing
Tall vertical structures
- galleriesSpaces for displaying art
- bas-reliefsShallow sculptural projections
- corbelledStepped-out structural projection
- moatDefensive water ditch
causeway · sandstone · spires · lintel · pediment · balustrades · lotus · symmetry
Cultural arm of UN
- World Heritage SiteInternationally recognized protected place
- conservationPreventing waste or loss
- preservationMaintaining something's condition
- restorationReturning something to condition
cultural · legacy · patrimony · archaeology · tourism · national treasure · monument · artifact
Advanced organized human society
- ruinsDecayed structural remains
- antiquityGreat age, ancient era
- archaeologyStudy of physical remnants
- empireDomain under unified control
dynasty · inscription · artifact · excavation · bas-relief · Sanskrit · historical · relics
Khmer
Cambodia's dominant ethnic group
- Phnom PenhCambodia's seat of government
- MekongMajor Southeast Asian river
- apsaraDivine dancer of heaven
Kampuchea · Khmer Rouge · national symbol · tuk-tuk · amok
temple
Sacred worship structure
- pilgrimageReligious journey to shrine
- worshipReligious reverence and praise
- sacredWorthy of reverence
shrine · monks · Buddhist · meditation · sanctuary · prayer · ritual · devotion · blessing · incense
towers
Tall vertical structures
- galleriesSpaces for displaying art
- bas-reliefsShallow sculptural projections
- corbelledStepped-out structural projection
moat · causeway · sandstone · spires · lintel · pediment · balustrades · lotus · symmetry · axial
UNESCO
Cultural arm of UN
- World Heritage SiteInternationally recognized protected place
- conservationPreventing waste or loss
- preservationMaintaining something's condition
restoration · cultural · legacy · patrimony · archaeology · tourism · national treasure · monument · artifact · endangered
civilization
Advanced organized human society
- ruinsDecayed structural remains
- antiquityGreat age, ancient era
- archaeologyStudy of physical remnants
empire · dynasty · inscription · artifact · excavation · bas-relief · Sanskrit · historical · relics · monument
Vishnu
Hindu deity of preservation
Mahabharata · cosmology · Brahma · Shiva · garuda · Sanskrit · mythology · celestial · god-king · sacred mountain
- ancient ruinsStonehenge, Pompeii, Colosseum, coliseum, Machu Picchu
- ancient sitesPompeii, Stonehenge, pyramids, Colosseum, Giza
- UNESCO sitesMachu Picchu, Versailles, Great Wall, Stonehenge, rice terraces
- CambodiaCambodia, Phnom Penh, Khmer Rouge, Mekong River, killing fields
- Asian Heritage SitesMandalay
- AsiaChina, India, Japan, Thailand, Korea
Angkor WatBurj Khalifa
Dubai's 828-meter tower
One World Trade Center · Sydney Opera House · The Shard · Taipei 101 · Apple Park
Angkor WatColossus of Rhodes
Ancient wonder, bronze statue
lost city · Atlantis · Palmyra · Tower of Babel · Temple of Artemis
Angkor WatSt. Peter's Basilica
Rome's principal Catholic church
Notre-Dame Cathedral · Hagia Sophia · Westminster Abbey · Cologne Cathedral · Dome of the Rock