Sambor Prei Kuk

Sambor Prei Kuk was the capital of the Chenla kingdom in the early seventh century, which makes it substantially older than anything at Angkor, and it was inscribed by UNESCO in 2017. What stands are groups of brick sanctuary towers scattered through open dipterocarp forest, some octagonal, a form found almost nowhere else, decorated with carved brick reliefs and sandstone lintels, and several with the flying palaces motif, small carved buildings floating on the outer walls. Trees have taken several of the towers, roots gripping brick in the way that made Ta Prohm famous but with almost nobody there to see it. Being here alone, walking between groups on sandy forest paths, is the point; most visitors driving between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap pass within thirty kilometres and never stop.

History

Sambor Prei Kuk was Isanapura, the royal sanctuary and capital founded by King Isanavarman I of the Chenla kingdom, who reigned between 616 and 637, sent his first embassy to the Sui court in China in 616-617, and is thought to have built the main temple, Prasat Sambor, where an inscription is dated 13 September 627. The last important king here, Jayavarman I, died at the start of the 8th century, and the turmoil that followed split the kingdom into principalities and opened the way to the Angkor period. On 8 July 2017 Sambor Prei Kuk was added to the World Heritage List (Wikipedia, Sambor Prei Kuk).

What to look for

• The octagonal towers - a rare brick form, in the southern group.
• Flying palace reliefs - carved brick panels of miniature buildings on the tower walls.
• Root-gripped sanctuaries - trees grown into the brickwork, without the crowds of Ta Prohm.
• The forest paths - sandy tracks linking the temple groups through open woodland.

When to go

November to March, when the tracks are dry and the heat is manageable. It works best as a break on the road journey between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap rather than a separate excursion.

Good to know

The site is spread out, shade is patchy and the walking adds up in heat. Brick weathers less dramatically than sandstone, so the carving is softer and less immediately impressive than Angkor's, and visitors expecting Angkor-level spectacle will not find it. There are still cleared and marked areas because of historic ordnance in parts of the province, so stay on paths.

Nearby

Kampong Thom town is the base; the road continues to Siem Reap or Phnom Penh.

Key facts