Ta Keo

Ta Keo was begun around the year 1000 for Jayavarman V and abandoned unfinished, and that is what makes it interesting: the five-tier pyramid and its five summit towers were built to full height in a hard green-grey sandstone, but almost none of the decorative carving was ever cut, so the temple stands as pure mass and geometry with blank surfaces where reliefs would have gone. One account attributes the abandonment to the temple being struck by lightning, taken as a bad omen. The steps to the top are famously steep, among the steepest at Angkor, with a wooden staircase added on one side. From the summit the forest canopy stretches away in every direction.

What you actually see

• Uncarved surfaces - blank stone where decoration was never cut.
• The five-tier pyramid - the full structure in hard green sandstone.
• Very steep stairs - the original steps, with a wooden aid on one face.
• Canopy views - forest in all directions from the summit.

When to go

November to March. The climb is hot at midday with no shade on the upper levels, so morning or late afternoon is better. It is quieter than most small-circuit temples.

Honest expectations

The stairs are genuinely steep and people find the descent harder than the ascent; the wooden staircase is the sensible route. There is no carving to look at, which some visitors find disappointing and others find clarifying. No shade at the top.

Nearby

Ta Prohm lies southeast; Angkor Thom is west.