Another Great Cambodian Temple Stirs To Life [...]]]> A feature on the massive temple of Banteay Chmar in Banteay Meanchay province, not far from the Thai-Cambodian border. The site is starting to see visitors again, but it’s sculptures have been looted – including a pair that’s said to be in the garden of a Thai politician!

Another Great Cambodian Temple Stirs To Life
AP, via the Huffington Post, 03 Jan 2012

It’s still entwined in mystery and jungle vines, but one of Cambodia’s grandest monuments is slowly awakening after eight centuries of isolated slumber, having attracted a crack archaeological team and a trickle of tourists.

“It takes awhile to unfold this temple – and everywhere there are enticements,” says John Sanday, the team leader, as he navigates through tangled undergrowth, past dramatic towers and bas-reliefs and into dark chambers of the haunting monastic complex of Banteay Chhmar.

What drove Jayavarman VII, regarded as the greatest king of the Angkorian Empire, to erect this vast Buddhist temple about 105 miles (170 kilometers) from his capital in Angkor and in one of the most desolate and driest places in Cambodia remains one of its many unsolved riddles.

Full story here.

No smoking in, or on, [...]]]> The authorities have cracked down on souvenirs sold in Angkor that are thought to be disrespectful, including Angkor Wat shaped ashtrays. The headline of the article suggests that smoking may have also been banned in the park, but no mention was made of it in the body. Can anyone confirm?

No smoking in, or on, temples
Phnom Penh Post, 30 December 2011

APSARA authorities yesterday confirmed a crackdown on certain Angkor Wat souvenirs being sold inside the archaeological complex that they say are denigrating the World Heritage site, as well as selling practices that they say are irritating tourists.

Prom Karona, director of the Apsara Authority’s Public Order and Co-operation Department, told the Post yesterday that vendors would no longer be able to sell Angkor Wat-inscribed ashtrays or drinking glasses that contained a sketching of the temple at the bottom of the glass.

Full story here.

photo credit: Olga Oslina

Questions and answers at dig Phnom Penh Post, 08 December [...]]]> The remains of a sculpture workshop has been discovered in near the Bakong in Angkor, giving insight to the tools and methods used in building the sculptures and monuments of Angkor. (Thanks to Dr Martin Polkinghorne for the heads up)

photo credit: Olga Oslina

Questions and answers at dig
Phnom Penh Post, 08 December 2011

A team of archaeologists from the University of Sydney and the Apsara Authority has been exploring the site of an ancient sculpture workshop found near Bakong, one of the earliest Angkorian-era temples.

The workshop is one of three that have so far been discovered within the Angkor Archeological Park, and the team hopes that it will give them a deeper insight into the unknown artists.

“The history of Angkor is still being written”, said Dr Martin Polkinghorne from the University of Sydney, “And our understandings are rapidly changing. What we’re learning from the workshops is making an important contribution to the story.”

Full story here.

Cambodia’s ancient wonders suffer modern ills AP, via Forbes.com, 12 July [...]]]> I’ve featured a number of number of similar stories like this on the increasing numbers of tourists visiting Angkor. It’s interesting to note that five years ago, the annual number of visitors was like 600,000. This year’s count is expected to be 2.5 million.

Cambodia’s ancient wonders suffer modern ills
AP, via Forbes.com, 12 July 2011

“Nobody should be allowed to walk on 1,000-year-old stones,” says Jeff Morgan, executive director of the U.S.-based Global Heritage Fund.

He says limits on tourists at the temples are decades overdue.

The influx hastens the deterioration of edifices already buffeted by invasive tropical vegetation and monsoon rains. The relentless tread of feet and the fumes from heavy traffic wear away the soft sandstone. Oily fingers harm the magnificent bas reliefs. Noisy crowds rob visitors of near-mystical moments of quiet contemplation or the chance to imagine they are jungle explorers discovering a lost city.

Too many tourists are not Angkor’s only woe.

The UNESCO World Heritage Site and its gateway town of Siem Reap are also beset by crass development, alleged corruption and endlessly delayed plans on how best to preserve the temples.

Full story here.

Vittorio Reveda - Bangkok Post 20110630

A scientist’s second act Bangkok Post, 30 June 2011

Long past the age when most would retire to a life of relaxation, Dr [...]]]> The Bangkok Post has a feature article on Dr Vittorio Roveda, who has written several books on the art of the Khmers and Angkor.

A scientist’s second act
Bangkok Post, 30 June 2011

Long past the age when most would retire to a life of relaxation, Dr Vittorio Roveda refuses to slow down. Although no one would blame him for doing so, the idea of settling down does not appeal to him.

“Research is my medicine,” he said. Roveda, who has both Italian and Swiss citizenship, is currently living in Bangkok and working on two books about Cambodian temples and the art found within them. It’s a topic on which he has already published five books and numerous articles. His prolific output is even more impressive, given that he only got into art history after spending 20 years as a geologist.

He experienced a lot of success in geology, working for huge oil companies like Shell and BP, but the corporate world left a part of him unfulfilled. Only later in life, after an accident that nearly killed him, did he gain a new perspective on what is important and decide to whole-heartedly pursue his passion.

“I was a gifted child,” said Roveda, referring to the fascination in geology that blossomed in him at a very young age. As an eight-year-old living in Switzerland, he would collect rocks and study mountains. His love of the subject never wavered, and he studied until the completion of his PhD in 1964 from the University of Milan in Italy.

He immediately got work in the oil industry. His job allowed him to travel to many exotic places. It was during some time spent in Southeast Asia that he first saw the beautiful paintings present in the ancient wats (temples) of countries like Singapore, Cambodia and Thailand.

photo credit: bob|P-&-S

Tourist Boom Puts Asia’s Treasures at Risk AFP, via Jakarta Globe, 08 March 2011

As the world recovers from the financial [...]]]> Tourism to ancient heritage sites is a major source of income for many Asian nations, but the signs of wear and tear to the monuments are fast becoming visible.

photo credit: bob|P-&-S

Tourist Boom Puts Asia’s Treasures at Risk
AFP, via Jakarta Globe, 08 March 2011

As the world recovers from the financial crisis and infrastructure in developing countries improves, the number of people drawn to Asia’s cultural and natural riches has exploded.

While this brings in much-needed revenue, observers fear that the growth in tourism is putting unprecedented pressure on precious and often fragile World Heritage sites.

At Angkor Wat, the most impressive of the park’s many temples, tourists are largely free to wander around the 12th-century complex, ignoring one-way signs and clambering over fallen stones.

Many lean against the ancient walls, while others trace delicate bas reliefs with their fingers.

“You start to notice a little bit of wear and tear and you’re not sure if it’s from centuries of use or if it’s from lots of tourists,” said Rona Soranno, 36, from California, after completing a tour of the temple’s inner courtyard.

Her 33-year-old partner Marcus Welsh added: “On the one hand it’s totally awesome that I am able to step on the stones and be close to so much history, but you have to wonder what it’s going to look like years from now.”