Nature and Culture: the Difficult Relationship Archaeologists Must Manage (Part 4)
Professor Mounir Bouchenaki during an interview with Cambodianess News. Photo: Zul Rorvy
- By Ky Soklim
- May 12, 2024 7:30 PM
SIEM REAP — Since restoration work began at Angkor more than a century ago, the work conducted to rescue these ancient stone structures, which had been taken over by the jungle, has always meant carefully balancing the preservation of the monuments and Angkorian culture with that of nature. This relationship, even though sometimes difficult to maintain, is part of what gives Angkor its universal value.
Preserving while respecting the passage of time has always been the mission of the archaeologists, that is, to restore, protect and showcase the monuments as realistically as can be.
A member of the International Coordinating Committee of Angkor (ICC-Angkor) and the ad hoc expert group for conservation, Mounir Bouchenaki discussed with Ky Soklim, journalist with Cambodianess News and ThmeyThmey Digital Media, the love-hate relationship between archeologists and nature that comes up at times when they attempt to manage the damages caused by vegetation and the elements over the centuries.
Watch the interview below:
