Siem Reap: History

Pre-20th-Century History

The Angkorian period, in which the temples of Angkor were built and the Khmer empire consolidated its position as one of the great powers of Southeast Asia, covers more than 600 years from AD 802 to 1432.

The Angkorian period begins with the rule of Jayavarman II (r. 802-50). After returning to Cambodia in the late 8th century, he established himself as head of an independent Khmer kingdom. His court was sited first at Phnom Kulen, 40km (25mi) northeast of Angkor; and later at Roluos (then known as Haliharalaya) 13km (8mi) east of Siem Reap.

Jayavarman II set a precedent that accounts for the staggering architectural productivity of the Khmers at this time. He established himself as a 'god king' or 'universal king' whose all-reaching power expressed the qualities of Shiva. Shiva's dwelling place is the mythical Mt Meru, and Jayavarman built a 'temple mountain' at Phnom Kulen, which symbolised the holy mountain at the centre of the universe. This cult of the god king is known as devaraja .

The temples that form the highlights of any tour of Angkor were built during the classical age. The classical appellation conjures up images of a golden age of abundance and leisurely temple construction, but while this period is marked by fits of remarkable productivity, it was also a time of conquests and setbacks. The walled city of Angkor Thom, for example, owes its existence to the fact that the old city of Angkor that stood on the same spot was destroyed during a Cham invasion from central Vietnam.

From 1065 until the end of the century, Angkor was again divided by various contenders for the throne. An important monarch of the new regime was Suryavarman II (r 1112-52). Suryavarman II unified Cambodia and led campaigns against Vietnam, extending Khmer influence to Malaya, Myanmar and Siam. He also set himself apart through his devotion to the Hindu deity Vishnu, to whom he consecrated the largest of all the Angkorian temples, Angkor Wat.

After the death of Jayavarman VII around 1219, the Khmer empire went into decline. The state religion reverted to Hinduism for a century or more and much of the Buddhist sculpture adorning Jayavarman's many temples was vandalised. The Thais sacked Angkor in 1351 and in 1431. The Khmer court moved to Phnom Penh, only to return fleetingly to Angkor in the 16th century; in the meantime it was abandoned to pilgrims, holy men and the elements.

The French 'discovery' of Angkor in the 1860s created a great deal of interest in Cambodia. But 'discovery', with all the romance it implied, was something of a misnomer. As historian David Chandler points out, when French explorer Henri Mouhot first stumbled across Angkor Wat it was found to contain a 'prosperous monastery...tended by more than 1000 hereditary slaves'. What's more, Portuguese travellers in the 16th century seem to have come across Angkor, referring to it as the 'Walled City'. A 17th-century Japanese pilgrim even drew a detailed plan of Angkor Wat.

Modern History

In 1901 the École Française d'Extrême Orient (EFEO) began a long association with Angkor by funding an expedition to the Bayon. In 1907 Angkor, which had been under Thai control, was returned to Cambodia and the EFEO took responsibility for clearing and restoring the whole site. In the same year, the first tourists arrived in Angkor - an unprecedented 200 in three months. Angkor had been 'rescued' from the jungle and was assuming its place in the modern world.

The empire of Angkor once included much of modern-day Thailand, but Thailand ultimately defeated Cambodia, and controlled Siem Reap and Angkor from 1794 to 1907.

Siem Reap was little more than a village when the first French explorers rediscovered Angkor in the 19th century. With the return of Angkor to Cambodian - or should that be French? - control in 1907, Siem Reap began to grow, absorbing the first wave of tourists. The Grand Hotel d'Angkor opened its doors in 1929 and the temples of Angkor remained one of Asia's leading draws until the late 1960s, luring visitors like Charlie Chaplin and Jackie Kennedy. With the advent of war, Siem Reap entered a long slumber from which it only began to wake in the mid-1990s.

Recent History

As with the rest of the country, Siem Reap's history (and the memories of its people) is darkened by the spectre of the brutal Khmer Rouge regime, though since Pol Pot's death in 1998, relative stability and a rejuvenated tourist industry have been significant steps in an important, if tentative, journey forward to recovery.

It is now undoubtedly Cambodia's fastest growing city.

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