Ancient History

The Khmer or Angkor Civilization came into existence during the period from 802 to 1431 A.D. and stretched as far as the modern Thailand-Burma Border in the west and Wat Phou of Laos in the north during its peak. The centre of the Khmer Civilization is in the Angkor Wat area which is situated on the plain of present-day Siem Reap province north of the Great Lake of Tonle Sap.

Angkor Wat and the other temples were built to represent the power of the empire. Created by a succession of kings, the temples of Angkor Tom (which includes Angkor Wat) span nine square km. Jayavarman VII, the son of Suryavarman II, who built Angkor Wat itself, built most of the temples during his reign from 1181-1220.

Angkor Wat and its then surrounding City of Angkor, flourished and the ancient Khmer rulers developed a water irrigation system here using the water from the mighty Mekong River. Unfortunately after centuries of power and successful rule the Khmer civilization slowly disintegrated some 5,000 years ago.