Sambor Prei Kuk

Sambor Prei Kuk is a forest of brick temples, scattered among the trees of central Cambodia, that predates Angkor by several centuries. Under its ancient name, Isanapura, it was the capital of the Chenla kingdom, and many of its sanctuaries were built in the 7th century. Octagonal brick towers stand among the trees, decorated with carved foliage, lion figures and rows of animals.

The site was developed as a royal city and sanctuary by King Isanavarman I, who ruled in the early 7th century. Its temples are grouped in three main walled complexes. The northern group is centred on Prasat Sambor, the principal 7th-century temple, dedicated to a form of Shiva. The southern group, Prasat Yeay Poeun, contains some twenty-two sanctuaries built in the first decades of the 7th century. The central group, Prasat Tao, "the temple of the lions", takes its name from the stone lions that guard it and dates from the 9th century. Altogether the area once held around 150 Hindu temples, together with ponds, reservoirs, lingams and yonis; many are now ruined and overgrown.

Built mostly of brick with sandstone details, the temples show the decorative language of what art historians call the Sambor Prei Kuk style, with motifs that reflect contacts with the Pallava art of southern India. In this period the forms that would later flourish at Angkor were first worked out, and the site is regarded as a direct forerunner of the classical Khmer temple. Sambor Prei Kuk was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in July 2017.

Getting there

Sambor Prei Kuk is in Kampong Thom province, about 30 km north of the town of Kampong Thom. The nearest airport is Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport (SAI), about 105 km away in a straight line.