CAMBODIA: It has survived centuries of monsoon rains, a US bombing campaign and rampant looting.

Now the ancient temple city of Sambor Prei Kuk in Cambodia is finally ready for a renaissance – and is teasing tourists to its forest-cocooned ruins.

Cloistered by trees and linked by winding dirt trails, the site has played second fiddle to its much bigger cousin to the west – Angkor Wat – Cambodia’s top tourist destination.

But in July it gained a listing by the Unesco World Heritage, promising a tourist bonanza that could breathe new life into a once-thriving 6th and 7th century metropolis.

“We have already seen more and more local and foreign tourists flocking to visit our site,” said Hang Than, an official who manages the compound, as he strolled towards one of several temples spectacularly wrapped in tree roots.

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SAMBOR PREI KUK (Cambodia) • It has survived centuries of monsoon rain, a United States bombing campaign and rampant looting.

Now the ancient temple city of Sambor Prei Kuk in Cambodia is finally ready for a renaissance – and is drawing tourists to its forest- cocooned ruins.

Cloistered by trees and linked by winding dirt trails, the site has played second fiddle to its much bigger cousin to the west – Angkor Wat – Cambodia’s top tourist destination.

But last month, it gained a listing by the Unesco World Heritage Centre, promising a tourist bonanza that could breathe new life into a once-thriving 6th and 7th century metropolis.

Read more

SAMBOR PREI KUK, Aug 11 — It has survived centuries of monsoon rains, a US bombing campaign and rampant looting.

Now the ancient temple city of Sambor Prei Kuk in Cambodia is finally ready for a renaissance — and is teasing tourists to its forest-cocooned ruins.

Cloistered by trees and linked by winding dirt trails, the site has played second fiddle to its much bigger cousin to the west — Angkor Wat — Cambodia’s top tourist destination.

But in July it gained a listing by the Unesco World Heritage, promising a tourist bonanza that could breathe new life into a once-thriving 6th and 7th century metropolis.

Read more

Sambor Prei Kuk temple complex in bucolic Kompong Thom province was recently added to Cambodia’s list of UNESCO World Heritage sites. Set amidst forest and shaded by towering trees, the unique late 6th century temple city is one of Cambodia’s oldest.

Around 170kms from Siem Reap, Sambor Prei Kuk – which means “the temple in the richness of the forest” in Khmer – is a sprawling complex of one hundred temples scattered over nearly 1,400 hectares of forest, rice paddies and marshlands on the west bank of the Steung Sen or Sen River in rural Kompong Thom.

One of Cambodia’s more off the beaten track archaeological sites, Sambor Prei Kuk sees nowhere near the numbers of the least visited temples in Angkor Archaeological Park near Siem Reap.

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