SIEM REAP — The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. A normal, unsurprising, phenomenon that people have been able to witness, morning ang evening, since the dawn of time. This happens two times a day, every day, and everywhere, city or countryside, in Phnom Penh, Paris or Mexico City. 

So, what makes sunrises and sunsets in Angkor Archeological Park unique? Why should people spend hours on on roads or in planes just to be at the Angkor Wat temple in Siem Reap province at the right time?

This is a question that may challenge what are, after all, every-day and everywhere moments of daily life.

As the sun is still in the sky and the Earth’s rotation has not dramatically changed, observing these two daily phenomena in Angkor Park goes beyond just experiencing the beauty of the astronomical bodies. It is witnessing human ingenuity and engineering capability. And especially in one case, it is also witnessing an understanding of astronomy 800 years ago.

Angkor Park, which was the centre of power of the Khmer Empire from the 9th through the early 15th century, is today an archaeological site covering an area of roughly 400 square kilometres encompassing villages, millennium-old temples, water reservoirs, canals, pagodas and natural scenery. The park was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992 due to its importance for humanity.

Twice a year, the central and tallest tower of the Angkor Wat temple appears crowned by a ball of fire that emerges in the sky above this 12th century monument.

In March and in September, this phenomenon known as equinox attracts people from the country and from across the world who stand shoulder-to-shoulder on top of the cruciform structure and along its stone causeway, and face east to watch the crown of fire appear above the temple’s tower in the sky.

This does not happen by chance. It was the Angkorian architects and engineers of the time who calculated with precision where to position the tower so this would take place. A matter of perfect symmetry so that this body in the sky would appear above this element of the temple for hundreds of years to come.

In addition to erecting the temple with this awe-inspiring accuracy, these architects and engineers built Angkor Wat itself differently than other temples. According to customs and for religious purposes, important monuments at the time had to be constructed facing east to welcome the rising sun. However, Angkor Wat faces west, which was a rare engineering choice during the Khmer Empire. Therefore, in addition to the equinox, visitors, Cambodians and foreigners alike, often gather in front of the main entrance of the temple to watch the sunset.

Yes, the temple demonstrates extensive knowledge of architecture, engineering as well as astronomy.

Is that it? Of course not.

In addition to being a monument primarily built of stones, Angkor Wat is surrounded by a river-sized moat and countless large trees, the critters ringing through in the moist tropical atmosphere as the gentle breeze orchestrates the sound of leaves flapping. Then, in one of Angkor Wat’s ponds, one can see the monument reflected upside down.

While heat can be challenging in the midday sun without proper shading, the evening becomes a smooth transition from day to night. And this comes with a calming effect at the Phnom Bakheng temple.

A few hundred years older than Angkor Wat, this “mountain” temple rises high above the surrounding lowlands of rice paddies, with the five towers of Angkor Wat visible in the distance and the golden reflection of the large, ancient man-made West Baray water reservoir to the west. Constructed in the shape of a tiered pyramid with central shrines, auxiliary shrines and supporting towers, Phnom Bakheng stands on top of a mountain, making this temple one of the best locations to watch the sunset in Siem Reap.

Is that all? Not even close.

Pre Rup, which is a large temple built of laterite with towers in bricks of intense orange colour, is another location from which to have a memorable view of the sunset. While lesser known than the Bakheng temple and built on an artificial mountain less high that of the Bakheng, Pre Rup offers a view of undisputable beauty of the villagers’ rice fields and clusters of palm trees, being in close proximity of the fertile land along the East Baray reservoir once filled with water.

Right next to Banteay Kdei, which was built as a Buddhist monastery in the 12th century, is the Srah Srang water reservoir. While smaller and much more human size than the West Baray and East Baray reservoirs, Srah Srang is surrounded by village life with local restaurants, rattan stores, pagodas and many smaller temples hidden behind villagers’ houses.

The journey to Banteay Kdei to see the sunset is in itself an experience one will remember. Young students in white and blue uniforms ride their plain bicycles back home, school having just ended, while villagers return home from the markets with their farm equipment or food baskets piled on their motorcycles.

With a restored quay and a small temple set in the middle, Srah Srang is one more option for tourists to choose from to view the sunset in Angkor Park.

So is the temple of Phnom Krom. Dilapidated and invaded by trees, this temple built in the late 9th century/early 10th century stands right on the edge of a hill and the floodplain of the mighty Tonle Sap lake. One of the best options to view the sunset from a hill, the temple is surrounded by wetland on one side and rice paddies on the other. With its many canopies of trees, Phnom Krom provides visitors with a much more private experience as they can sit along the slope of the mountain or on wooden benches overlooking the lake as the sun descends slowly.

The Chong Kneas Floating Village where fishermen live with their families in stilt houses built to remain above water even during the rainy season and the Buddhist monastery near the top of the mountain are other locations where visitors can go to watch the sunset in a truly Cambodian setting.

Angkor has a great deal to offer from sunrise to sunset.

Written in Khmer for ThmeyThmey Digital Media, the article was translated by Ky Chamna for Cambodianess.