Page 37 - HISTORY ANGKOR

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CITY IN THE JUNGLE
Dense vegetation dominates the
landscape today, and the temples
of Angkor appear isolated, like
islands half subsumed by jungle.
In its heyday in the 12th and 13th

centuries, the Khmer capital was
an urban macro-complex, as
shown here. Some estimate its
peak population in the hundreds
of thousands. Angkor was home
to carved wooden palaces and
sumptuously decorated temples.
Beyond the city walls, dwellings
raised on pillars dotted the rice
paddies, ponds, and canals—the
latter a testimony to the Khmer’s
genius for water engineering.
ILLUSTRATION: RAIDEN STUDIO

EAST BARAY AND TA PROHM

Bagan Hanoi
ca 1200 ca 1431 Prabang
Luang
Jayavarman VII builds Angkor The neighboring kingdom of Irrawaddy Sri Ksetra Chiang Mai
Thom north of Angkor Wat. The Ayutthaya attacks the Khmer. The Vientiane
city centers on the Buddhist capital moves south to Phnom Penh, Bago Sukhothai
Bayon temple, reflecting a shift triggering the decline of Angkor as a Thaton Indrapura
away from Hinduism. political center.
Andaman Ayutthaya Mekong
Sea Angkor CHAMPA
Siem Reap
Tonle
Sap
Phnom
Gulf of Penh
Thailand
1181 14th-15th centuries
Khmer Empire South
King Jayavarman VII is crowned Severe monsoons and Khmer Empire, circa 800 China Sea
Khmer Empire, circa 1100
after he expels Cham forces floods damage the irrigation Khmer Empire, circa 1210
Town with inscriptions and 0 150 300 mi
from Cambodia. The empire infrastructure of the complex. monumental religious buildings 0 150 300 km
will reach the peak of its Despite depopulation, Angkor
splendor under his reign. Wat will still function as a temple. NG MAPS