Preah Khan, Angkor
Preah Khan, Angkor is a sprawling jungle-clad temple near Siem Reap, known for its tree-entwined ruins and quiet, atmospheric corridors away from the crowds.
Preah Khan, Angkor
Preah Khan - the sacred sword - was built by Jayavarman VII in 1191 on the site of a battle against the Chams, and served as a monastery, a city and a university. Its founding inscription lists a population in the tens of thousands attached to the temple.
It is laid out as a long axis of galleries and courtyards running east to west, and walking it end to end passes through a sequence of doorways that narrow and lower as the centre approaches. Much of it is unrestored: collapsed lintels, trees growing out of the walls, corridors partly blocked. A curious two-storey building with round columns near the eastern entrance has no parallel anywhere else at Angkor and no agreed purpose.
Its size means it absorbs visitors, and it is often near-empty even when the main temples are busy. It lies just north of Angkor Thom.
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