Cambodia's Preah Vihear heritage site receives less visitors in first nine months

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- The number of tourists visiting Cambodia's Preah Vihear Temple, a world heritage site, has declined by 30 percent in the first nine months of the year, tourism data showed Wednesday.

The figures provided by Preah Vihear provincial tourism department said a total of 54,000 domestic and foreign tourists have viewed the 11th century temple during the January-September period this year, down 30 percent from 77,450 visitors over the same period last year.

Of the figure, domestic tourists to the temple went down by 36 percent to 45,900, while foreign visitors to the site increased by 54 percent to 8,100.

You Sovan, deputy chief of the Preah Vihear provincial department, said the Mekong River and flash floods, which have been hitting the country since August and have killed at least 83 people so far, were blamed for the drop in local tourists to the temple.

Floods a threat to heritage

Tourism of Cambodia

The Department of Fine Arts is reviewing measures to protect heritage sites in Ayutthaya following reports that a number of pagodas and temples are either flooded or face a serious threat.

The department expressed concerns over the state of the province’s famed historic sites as heavy downpours triggered flash floods that have hit most parts of Ayutthaya.

So far, officials have drained floodwater from flood-hit temples and built flood barriers to prevent further erosion.

The department confirmed the integrity of ancient pagodas had not been compromised.

During the flood disaster in late 2011, 157 historic monuments in the province were damaged and hundreds of factories closed.

Rising water levels in dams along the Chao Phraya River set off alarm bells last week and the Meteorological Department is forecasting more heavy rains over the next five days.

Top 5 tourist destinations in Cambodia

 by Dareth Rosaline

MANILA, Philippines - Cambodia, known as the Kingdom of Wonder, is well-known for its many ancient temples that draw tourists from Southeast Asia and other regions.

Below are the top 5 destinations you should not miss when in Cambodia:

1. Phnom Penh

The Royal Palace, the National Museum, and the Toul Sleng genocide museum are all in Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital city.

The Royal Palace grounds is open to the public except when the king is in residence. Visitors are charged $3 per person, $2 per still camera, and $5 per video camera. The Royal Palace opens every day from 7:30 am to 11 am and from 2 pm to 5 pm.

The nearby National Museum houses over 14,000 items, from pre-historic Cambodia to periods before, during, and after the Khmer Empire. It is open for public viewing from 8 am to 5 pm every day, and the entrance fee is at $3 per adult. Visitors will be charged an additional $1 if they want to bring cameras inside.

Art & Culture

Cambodian Art and Culture(Khmer: វប្បធម៌ និង សិល្បះកម្ពុជា) Throughout Cambodia’s history, religious principles guided and inspired its arts. A unique Khmer style emerged from the combination of indigenous animistic beliefs and the originally Indian religions of Hinduism and Buddhism. These two religions, along with the Sanskrit language and other elements of Indian civilization, arrived in mainland Southeast Asia during the first few centuries ad. Seafaring merchants following the coast from India to China brought them to the port cities along the Gulf of Thailand, which were then controlled by the state of Funan in Cambodia. At varying times, Cambodian culture also absorbed Javanese, Chinese, and Thai influences.

    Music, Dance, and Theater
    Literature
    Art and Architecture
    Museums

Cambodia Geography

Cambodia has a land area of 181,035 square kilometers in the southwestern part of the Indochina peninsula, about 20 percent of which is used for agriculture. It lies completely within the tropics with its southern most points slightly more than 10° above the Equator. The country capital city is Phnom Penh.International borders are shared with Thailand and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic on the West and the North, and the Social Republic of Viet Nam on the East and the Southeast. The country is bounded on the Southeast by the Gulf of Thailand. In comparison with neighbors, Cambodia is a geographical contact country administratively composed of 20 provinces, three of which have relatively short maritime boundaries, 2 municipalities, 172 districts, and 1,547 communes. The country has a coastline of 435 km and extensive mangrove stands, some of which are relatively undisturbed.The dominant features of the Cambodian landscape are the large, almost generally located, Tonle Sap (Great Lake) and the Bassac River Systems and the Mekong River, which crosses the country from North to South. Surrounding the Central Plains which covered three quarters of the country’s area are the more densely forested and sparsely populated highlands, comprising: the Elephant Mountains and Cardamom Mountain of the southwest and western regions; the Dangrek Mountains of the North adjoining of the Korat Plateau of Thailand; and Rattanakiri Plateau and Chhlong highlands on the east merging with the Central Highlands of Viet Nam.

National Museum

The NATIONAL MUSEUM has a good collection of Khmer sculptures dating from the pre-Angkor period (4th century) to post-Ankgor period (14th century). The museum, built of red bricks by the French in 1917 in a pseudo-Khmer style, is built around a courtyard.

The national museum is open daily from 8am to 11:30am and from 2:30pm to 5pm. French and English spoken guides are available, or visitor can purchase one of the books or pamphlets available and wander the four courtyards, each facing out into a garden, and try to piece together the complex history through these magnificent work of ancient art themselves.

A stone's throw away from the Tonle Sap is the royal Palace built on the site of the Banteay Kev, a citadel built in 1813. The Palace grounds contain several buildings: the Throne Room of Prasat Tevea Vinichhay which is used for the coronation of kings, official receptions and traditional ceremonies; the Chan Chhaya Pavilion which is a venue for dance performances; the king's official residence called the Khemarin; the Napoleon Pavilion and the spectacular Silver Pagoda.

Phnom Penh : Travel Guide

PHNOM PENH (Khmer: ក្រុងភ្នំពេញ - Tykrong Phnom Penh) is the capital of Cambodia. It is situated at the confluence of three major rivers: 1)- the mighty Mekong, 2)-the Bassac and the great Tonle Sap, what was once considered the 'Gem' of Indochina. The capital city still maintains considerable charm with plenty to see. It exudes a sort of provincial charm and tranquillity with French colonial mansions and tree-lined boulevards amidst monumental Angkorian architecture. Phnom Penh is a veritable oasis compared to the modernity of other Asian capitals. A mixture of Asian exotica, the famous Cambodian hospitality awaits the visitors to the capital of the Kingdom of Cambodia.

Tourist Statistic

The analysis of Cambodia tourism industry has noticed that in the last decades, The number of international visitors (inbound tourist in Cambodia) has increased since 2003 and until 2011 is increase more than last year 2010. There was formal election in Cambodia. The new government has bring peace, more improved infrastructure and superstructure has imposed noticeable.

The number of tourists from Asian Countries as well as America, Australia and European Countries has came to visit Cambodia every year. The official tourist statistic data which you can download, view the trend for past and future of Cambodia tourism industry which available for a case study for your business, study and research.

logo mot Sources: Statistics & Tourism Information Department, Ministry of Tourism

Royal Crest

• 
• The sun rays of the Khmer civilisation

•  The two umbrellas signifying the king and queen

•  The sword of the king symbolises the power and equal justice

•   Mythology lions - The force of the Cambodian people around the throne

• The sovereign of the Kingdom of Cambodia

•  The colour is golden

                                Nation Religion King

Cambodia: The new land of smiles

Cambodia is located in the heart mainland of Southeast Asia, which conjures images of a glorious and mysterious past and rich of the cultural heritages, particularly the world's renowned ancient temple city whose magical image draws ever-increasingly tourists from all over the world. The divergent facets of the Kingdom provoke both the serious and casual traveler, generally charmed and sometimes bewildered by its mysteries.
Not only Angkor Wat, Bayon, Taprohm, Sandstone of ancient holy places, the giant roots of ancient trees, the graceful shapes of Apsaras and some temples buried in the jungle, hill tribes settled in the remote areas, colorful pagodas, strings of pristine islands and the century beach, as part of cultural tour that Cambodia is proud of her presentation, but also the splendor of the Khmer civilization and its people who have shown their friendliness everywhere you move in the country.

About Tourism Information Board

EXPOUNDING CAMBODIA IN HER TRUE GLORY
Capital     Phnom Penh
Land Area     181,035 sq.km
Population     13,363,421 Million (2006 est.)
Official Language     Khmer
Currency     Riel (US$1 = 4000 Riels)
Major Export Products     Garments/Textile Product, Sawn Wood Furniture and Rubber
Major Industries     Major Industries Textiles and Garments, Beverage, Food Processing, Wood Processing
Head of State     His Majesty Samdech Preah Baromneath Norodom Sihamoni
Head of Government     His Excellency Samdech Hun Sen Prime Minister

History

No one knows for certain how long people have lived in what is now Cambodia, as studies of its prehistory are undeveloped. A carbon-l4 dating from a cave in northwestern Cambodia suggests that people using stone tools lived in the cave as early as 4000 bc, and rice has been grown on Cambodian soil since well before the 1st century ad. The first Cambodians likely arrived long before either of these dates. They probably migrated from the north, although nothing is known about their language or their way of life.

Hot Air Balloon Crash Kills 19 in Egypt

A hot air balloon has crashed near the Egyptian city of Luxor, killing 19 tourists on board.

Two other people, including the pilot, survived after the balloon caught fire and exploded Tuesday while traveling at an altitude of 300 meters over the west bank of the Nile River.

Officials said the dead included people from France, Britain and other countries.

Angkor Wat Entrance – West Gopura Devata Portraits (Outside)

NOTE – No living person knows who the women of Angkor Wat were. No one knows what the ancient Khmers called them; why their images were immortalized in the largest temple the Khmer civilization ever built; or what these women truly represented to the Khmer rulers, priests and people.

Devata.org offers new theories and information to help understand the women of Angkor Wat. Your theories are equally valid. Use your eyes, your heart and your mind. Weigh the evidence. These Khmer women have much to teach us about the past and future glories of the rich land of Cambodia.

The West Gopura – Gateway to Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat Devata Inventory – Ver. 03-17-2010

 

 

 

Angkor Wat, Cambodia – This article identifies working counts and locations of all devata (sacred female) images in Angkor Wat. We have numerically identified 1,796 devata at the temple, not including those on the high towers.

In her 1926 study, Sappho Marchal cited 1,737 devata, possibly not counting some that are partially completed, worn away, covered by stone blocks (sealed doorways on level A1) or “aerial devata” located on Angkor Wat’s top towers.
 

Elegy: Reflections on Angkor Exhibit Opens in USA

For more than a decade, American photographer John McDermott has devoted himself to capturing the soul of the ancient Khmer capital of Angkor on film. His new exhibit features a collection of monochromatic photos from his new book Elegy: Reflections on Angkor, a study of the stone temple ruins in Cambodia.
 

Elegy: Reflections on Angkor by John McDermott

McDermott first visited Cambodia in the mid-1990s, when the country was still recovering from decades of civil war and genocide. When he returned again in 2000, the photographer committed himself to recording the ancient ruins of the mysterious Khmer civilization that were still untouched and unknown to most of the world.
 

Faces on The Bayon by John McDermott

Welcome to Heritage Watch!

Heritage Watch is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of Southeast Asia’s cultural heritage.

Cambodia is famed for the temples of Angkor but little is known of how these temples came to be. The secrets to the rise of Angkor are to be found in the lesser known temples and the countless prehistoric settlements and cemeteries across Cambodia.

Heritage Watch was founded in 2003 as a result of a sharp increase in the destruction of Cambodia’s precious cultural heritage - especially the looting of ancient temples and cemetery sites nationwide. 

Heritage Watch is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to preserving the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of the world, through research, education, and advocacy.

Its mandate is to:

The Real Secret of Cambodia’s Mythic Warrior: Archaeological Insight

like a good Indiana Jones movie, the real story of this lost treasure began with a flash of archaeological insight in a remote Asian jungle half a world away….

Koh Ker, Cambodia – Protests from the Kingdom of Cambodia recently halted the multi-million dollar Sotheby’s sale of an ancient stone statue with the support  of the United States government. When the Cambodians sought help bringing the thousand-year-old Khmer statue back to their country the New York Times ran a detailed article entitled “Mythic Warrior Is Captive in Global Art Conflict.”
Their investigation reveals that the legal and moral issues surrounding the ownership and sale of ancient art are quite complex. In this case, one generous art collector may actually provide a positive solution. But like a good Indiana Jones movie, the real story of this lost treasure began with a flash of archaeological insight in a remote Asian jungle half a world away.

Mystery of the Missing Men of Koh Ker

One thousand years ago, the Khmer Empire ruled most of what is now Southeast Asia from its capital in Angkor. During their heyday, the architecturally and artistically sophisticated Khmer people created some of humanity’s most extraordinary stone temples and statues. Apart from a few stone inscriptions, however, no written records of the civilization survived. Out of necessity, archaeologists have had no alternative but to piece the story of the Khmer people together, clue by clue and stone by stone.
 

Angkor Wat

Angkor, Cambodia – Angkor Wat is home to the world’s most fascinating archaeological mystery: Why do images of women dominate the largest religious monument on Earth?

In the 12th Century AD, the Khmer Empire ruled most of what is now Southeast Asia. As Europe struggled in the Dark Ages, King Suryavarman II built the massive edifice of Angkor Wat at the height of his empire’s glory.

Cruciform Gallery devata at Angkor Wat

But within 200 years, the powerful Khmer civilization mysteriously collapsed. Theories about the cause of its downfall abound but nothing is definite. You see, aside from limited temple inscriptions no written records of the great Khmer Empire survived its demise. The “best” written account available is from the Chinese diplomat Zhou Daguan, who recorded his journey to Suvannabhum — the legendary Khmer “Land of Gold” — 150 years after Angkor Wat was completed.

Rare Rituals of Cambodian Dance Revealed in Buddhist Temple

This royally-sanctioned rural dance troupe performs ancient dance rituals to re-sanctify Khmer temples and bring blessings to the land and people of Cambodia.

Special thanks to author Claire Byrne and the Phnom Penh Post for their permission to reproduce this article. Copyright © 2012 The Phnom Penh Post. All Rights Reserved.

Siem Reap, Cambodia – It’s a Wednesday night in monsoon season. Outside, the rain is falling so hard visibility is limited, the ground is wet and muddy and there’s a sense of urgency to get indoors.
 

Preah Khan Temple Mystery Door of Legends

Classic Cambodian Legends
 

“Tales of the Hare”

The Khmer people have always maintained a rich oral tradition of myths, legends and folklore. Technically, “myths” are fantastic tales of imagination while “legends” have some basis in real people, places and events…although the tales may become exaggerated or distorted over time (see this page for a comparison of these concepts).

In recent years, I’ve been working on a series of books relating folktales of Southeast Asia. The first in print, by Chhany Sak Humphry, is a bi-lingual (Khmer and English) collection, Tales of the Hare – 27 Classic Folktales of Cambodia.