Preah Vihear Temple - World Cultural Heritage in Cambodia

In 2008, the Unesco Scientific, Educational and Cultural Organization recognized the Preah Vihear Temple, Cambodia as the World Cultural Heritage.

The panorama of Preah Vihear temple looks from above

Prasat Preah Vihear is a temple located on the top of the mountain in Cambodia near Cambodia. The temple is named for the province of Preah Vihear, where it is located.

Historically, the first temple was used to worship Shiva in the 9th century. The remainder dates back to the KohKer era in the 10th century, but most of the temple was founded under Suryavarman I and Suryavarman II in the first half of the 11th and 12th centuries.

Temple architecture with sculptures on extremely sophisticated sandstone . Previously, the area around the temple had many high towers, but now most of the architecture of the auxiliary tower lights around the temple are seriously ruined. The complex architecture of the temple runs along the north-south axis 800 meters long, including a bank of high embankment, and the steps leading up to the temple are located at the top of the southern temple area (120 meters high compared to the North and 525m compared to Cambodia plain). Although this structure is not the same as the temples on Cambodia's other mountains found in Bangkok, this temple also has the same purpose of worshiping gods at Mount Meru. The walls of the temple surrounding the temple have the appearance of Wat Phou (Laos).

Preah Vihear Temple was built on the mountain range between Thailand and Cambodia.

Because the temple is located near the Cambodian and Thai borders, the area was disputed until June 15, 1962, when the International Court of Justice ruled that the temple was in Cambodia. The temple was opened for a short time to the public in 1982 but the following year in 1983 the temple was occupied by the Khmer Rouge.

By 1998 the temple was reopened and in 2003 Cambodia completed the reconstruction of the destroyed parts.

In 2007 Cambodia asked Unesco to recognize the Cultural Heritage for the Preah Vihear temple, but was rejected by Unesco because of disagreements with Thailand, and Thailand also rejected and rejected Cambodia's proposal.

However, a year later, supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, on June 7, 2008, the World Heritage Committee in Canada recognized the Preah Vihear Temple as a world heritage . This is the third world heritage of Cambodia, the two previously recognized legacies are Angkor Wat (1992) and Royal Dance (2003). Soon after, the Thai Foreign Minister allegedly violated the law when Cambodia's support for Preah Vihear Temple was a world heritage, and he had to resign. Because of this, relations between Cambodia and Thailand become tense.

This dispute occurs because the temple is located on the mountains of Dangrak mountain range, in a relatively sensitive area, the border between Cambodia and Thailand. Half of the temple is located on Khao Phra Viharn National Park in Kantharalak district in Thailand's Sisaket province, half of the temple is in Preah Vihear province of Cambodia. Since the temple is built on a cliff in the territory of Cambodia (formerly thought to be Thai territory), but the entrance to the temple of Preah Vihear lies on a steep cliff and inaccessible from Cambodia. . This means, to visit this heritage requires visitors to go from the gate of Khao Phra Viharn National Park of Thailand.