SIEM REAP – Towering above the ground with radiating arms, the statue of Ta Reach at Angkor Wat is believed to be one of the most powerful deities in Angkor Park. For generations, worshippers have gathered before this sacred figure, drawn by its mystical presence and enduring power.

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Yet, Ta Reach has not always stood unbroken. Over the centuries, time and turmoil have left their mark—the statue has suffered damage, its head once removed, and its arms reshaped in more recent restorations. But beyond the stone and craftsmanship, it is the devotion of worshippers and the hands of restorers that sustain its magic.

In this fourth part of a two-hour interview, Prof. Hans Leisen, the German conservation scientist leading the German Apsara Conservation Project, unveils the intricate process of restoring the deity of Angkor Wat—breathing new life into an ancient god.

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Background of the Conservation

The GACP is cooperating closely with the APSARA National Authority and UNESCO. Since 2020, the GACP team has been integrating into the APSARA authority within the framework of the APSARA-GACP cooperation project “German APSARA Restoration and Conservation Project GARCP”.

In 1997, GACP started with research, documentation and conservation of the precious decorations at Angkor Wat.

Conservation requires the exact knowledge of the materials - stone, brick and stuccoes - and the causes of deterioration. In the case of the stone reliefs, the extreme scale formation endangers the floral decorations and the mythological memory of the narrative reliefs.

Step-by-step documentation, research and practical testing paves the way for a sustainable conservation concept that satisfies the aesthetics appearance of the high-ranking works of art and the scientific approach, which is congruent with the current international state of the art.

Conservation materials are optimised and adapted to the needs of the monument. For stone conservation, the tetra-ethoxy-orthosilicate (TEOS) modular system is applied while for the stucco conservation lime products are developed.

At Angkor Wat temple, most reliefs are maintained and conserved. Other conservation work activities are carried out in more than 25 temples in the Angkor Park and beyond for example in Bakong and Preah Ko temples - where stucco remains and sandstone elements are conserved - as well as in many other sites in the Angkor Park, Koh Ker, and Sambor Prei Kuk and on Kulen mountain.

The research of wall paintings and polychrome decorations in the brick temples in Cambodia, construction and stone quarrying techniques are other topics of the Khmer-German GACP cooperation team.

The project is funded by the Cultural Preservation Programme of the German government, the TH Koln and FAKT.