Banteay Samre

Banteay Samre was built in the twelfth century in the same style as Angkor Wat, a Hindu temple enclosed by a high gallery wall with a central sanctuary and an inner moat that filled the courtyard, and it was rebuilt by Maurice Glaize in the 1940s using anastylosis, taking the collapsed structure apart and reassembling it with the original stone. The result is unusually complete: the galleries stand, the roofs are intact in places, and the carving on lintels and pediments is crisp. Because it lies several kilometres east of the main circuit near Pradak, it sees a fraction of the traffic, and it is common to have the courtyards to yourself. The name refers to the Samre, a people of the Kulen hills.

What you actually see

• Complete galleries - roofed corridors standing as reassembled.
• Crisp carving - lintels and pediments in good condition.
• The inner court - the enclosure that once held water around the shrine.
• Quiet - a major temple with very few visitors.

When to go

November to March. Any time of day works because crowds are light. It is usually reached on the way to or from Banteay Srei, and combining them makes a half-day.

Honest expectations

Getting there means a detour off the main circuits, so tuk-tuk drivers may charge more. The temple is compact and an hour covers it. Some of what stands is reassembled rather than original in position, which is what anastylosis means.

Nearby

Banteay Srei lies northeast; the East Baray is west.