Cambodian pyramid
September 16, 2009
Photographer Craig Ferguson visited Prasat Koh Ker, the 35-meter-high sandstone pyramid in the middle of Preah Vihear province. Along with some nice photos, he says this:
Long one of the most inaccessible of the Angkor-era temples, Koh Ker could easily be described Cambodia’s forgotten capital. Tucked away in the forests of Preah Vihear province in the north of the country, Koh Ker was briefly the Khmer capital during the reign of Jayavarman IV (928-942 CE), who moved here from Angkor after seizing the throne from a rival. The captial was moved back to Angkor in 944 by his son Harshavarman I, who was his successor. Also know as Chok Gargyar, meaning Island of Glory, the Koh Ker area is home to well over 100 temples, with 30 major structures. More ruins are constantly being discovered in the jungles of the area, however there are still a lot of land mines in the ground that have yet to be cleared.
September 17, 2009 at 6:04 pm
I was there in February, the day after visiting Prasat Preah Vihear. It is truly a tremendous and exhilarating testament to the glory of the Khmer empire.
September 21, 2009 at 10:30 am
Has the staircase been rebuilt?
I cannot express the disappointment I felt last year when I visited the complex that the staircase up the pyramid was off-limits because it was falling apart.
October 26, 2009 at 10:00 am
The staircase were destroyed by the French people because they were hungry for gold! It’s sad how humans can destroy a precious monument just for their own greed!