Cambodia: Banteay Chhmar
We’ve all heard of Angkor Wat and the crowds of tourists that flock the destination all year round. However, very few know of and have visited Banteay Chhmar. The massive temple, along with its satellite shrines and reservoir comprises one of the most important and least understood archaeological complexes from Cambodia's Angkor period.
The temple of Banteay Chhmar is a unique complex of Angkorian period of structural style with the associated baray and water control systems. In modern days, it still reflects the outstanding aspects of architecture, engineering, arts, skilled craftsmanship, stone building, irrigation, governance and theology, landscape, human settlement and land use. There are countless Buddhist images and startling bas-reliefs of Angkorian-era life that signify its importance as a temple complex.
Because of its remote location and its proximity to the Thai border, the complex has been subjected to severe looting, especially in the 1990s. In 2002 the temple was listed by the World Monuments Fund as one of the top one hundred most endangered sites in the world.
