What to expect?Today you will cycle through one of the most beautiful temple areas of the world. We will show you literally and figuratively all corners of Angkor Thom. Angkor Thom was founded as the capital of the empire of Jayavarman VII, he was a king of the Khmer Empire and lived from 1122 to 1218. The name Angkor thom literally means "Great City" This name was not used until the 16th century. Before that it was called Indrapattha. In the centre stands the Bayon temple. This is a mix of Hinduism and Buddhism. The walls around Angkor are 8 metres high and surrounded by a moat. Each wall (4 in total) is 3km long. Angkor Thom covers 9m2. At that time it was one of the largest cities in the world with almost 1 million people. In comparison, London had a population of 20,000. Unfortunately, all the houses and the royal palace have perished because they were built of wood. What remains are some beautiful temples and the wall around this area. |