Restoration Work Underway at Bayon Temple in Cambodia’s Famed Angkor Park
This undated photo shows staff members working at the restoration site of the west door frame of the Bayon temple in Angkor Archaeological Park in Siem Reap province, Cambodia. Photo: Apsara National Authority/Handout via Xinhua
- By Xinhua News Agency
- November 14, 2023 1:00 PM
PHNOM PENH -- Restoration work has been underway at the west door frame of the Bayon temple in Cambodia's famed Angkor Archaeological Park, the Apsara National Authority (ANA) said in a news release on Monday.
Chin Sok Meng, a technical officer from the ANA's Department of Conservation of Monuments and Preventive Archaeology, said the temple's west door frame was damaged due to age, heat, humidity, and rain.
The restoration work was to ensure the safety of tourists, he said, adding that his team had collected and fixed sandstone fragments that had been damaged by rain and strengthened the door frame's foundation to prevent sand from leaking out.
"The restoration of the door frame on the west side of the Bayon temple is being reassembled to the original location of the ancient structure," he said. "The renovation is a priority to prevent falls and also focuses on keeping the safety of tourists passing through this area."
After completing this project, ANA experts will continue to restore the walls and pillars on the west side of the Bayon temple.
Built during the reign of Jayavarman VII in the late 12th century and early 13th century, Bayon is one of the key temples in the 401-square-km Angkor Archaeological Park in the northwestern Siem Reap province of Cambodia.
The Angkor Archaeological Park, which was inscribed on the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1992, is the most popular tourist destination in the Southeast Asian country.
The ancient park attracted 602,570 international tourists during the January-October period this year, earning a gross revenue of nearly 28 million U.S. dollars from ticket sales, according to the state-owned Angkor Enterprise.
