More from our Cambodian trip.
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| We watched the cormorants flying in to roost |
Angkor Thom was the last capital of the Khmer Empire. It was surrounded by a moat and a wall and contained numerous temples and a Royal Palace going back to first half of the tenth century.
(Think about that for a moment! That was the end of the period usually referred to as the Dark Ages in European history.)
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| G&Ts beside the canal |
Although the foundations and an enclosing wall around the palace with entry towers have been identified, many buildings, probably constructed of wood, have gone.
A long causeway leading to each entry tower is flanked by a row of 54 stone figures on each side – demons on the right and gods on the left-to make a total of 108 mythical beings guarding the city of Angkor Thom.
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| We took an evening boat ride on the canal |
The city is a square, each side three kilometers (1.9 miles) long, with an 8 meters (26 feet) high wall and a moat with 100meters (328 feet) wide.
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| Daughter and family |
Absolutely fascinating, as you say, incredible to think of the time factor and what they were achiving although in justfication, weren't Europeans building cathedrals at that time?
The era of the gothic cathedral was just beginning at the time of Angkor Thom's heyday.
OK I wasn't sue of the time line. But it seems there were many civilisations before Brtain's heyday, the Incas and Aztecs come to mind