Angkor Wat is the biggest religious monument in the whole world. It is also one of the World Heritage Sites. Originally it was built for King Suryavarman II in the 12th century. It is Cambodia's single most popular attraction. Even the Cambodian national flag uses Angkor Wat as a symbol.

Angkor Wat comprises a lot of different temples that are spread out over 40 miles around Siem Reap. 2 man sites are the most important ones. The first is Rolous which is actually the name of the first Khmer capital city. The older temples were built here. After that the capital was moved to Angkor which is very close to Siem Reap (around 7-10 kilometers). Here the biggest agglomeration of Khmer temples can be found.

Angkor Wat is a prime example for the typical classical Khmer architecture. In the time when Angkor Wat was built the main material used by Khmer architects was sandstone. Angkor Wat is mostly applauded for its design that is often compared to the magnificent structures the Greeks and Romans built during their time. The typical elements of Khmer architecture can also be found in Angkor Wat. They include towers that look like Lotus buds, cruciform terraces which can be found on the main axis of the temple and the inner enclosures of Angor Wat are connected by galleries.

There are of course several main temples that are the most famous ones. Despite the fact that not all temples are open to tourists, the below ones should be visited and most of them have seen a lot of restoration work.

Angkor Wat
This is the masterpiece of all the Khmer temples. Built by King Suryavarman II it comprises a huge pyramid temple that is surrounded by a 4 kilometer long moat. It is oone of the most impressive buildings you will ever see.

Bakong
Bakong was built by Indravarman I and is the main temple of Hariharalaya city. Like Angkor Wat, Bakong is a pyramid shape temple.

Other popular temples include Banteai Srei, The Baphuon, The Bayon, Preah Ko, Preah Khan, Ta Prohm and Ta Keo.

In 1992 Angkor Wat temple became part of the Angkor World Heritage Site. This has made i possible to get extra funding and protection of the site by the Cambodian government. A German conservation project called Apsara Conservation Project is working on protecting the bas-reliefs decoration of the temples.
Since the restoration efforts have picked up in Angkor Wat, tourism numbers are also on the rise. In 2004, a million arrivals were recorded.