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Processional gopuras of Preah Vihear temple on the Dangrek escarpment

Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Country Record

Oldest Temple in Cambodia

TempleUNESCO

Preah Vihear

Seyfi Cem Baskin

ប្រាសាទព្រះវិហារ890 apr. J.-C. – 1150 apr. J.-C.

A Khmer cliff-top temple dedicated to Shiva on the Dangrek escarpment, looking north over the Cambodian plain. Built mainly in the 9th–12th centuries and inscribed by UNESCO; long contested at the Thai–Cambodian border.

Early MedievalMedievalHigh MedievalKhmer
111
Intérêt 56

Localisation

Cambodge

14.39°N · 104.68°E · Asie

Carte complète et détails →Ouvrir dans Google Maps ↗

UNESCO

Temple of Preah Vihear (2008)

Setting

Cliff edge of the Dangrek escarpment

Main builders

Yasovarman I to Suryavarman I–II (9th–12th c.)

ICJ

Temple awarded to Cambodia, 1962

“Preah Vihear shows how Khmer state temples used extreme landscape—not only barays and city grids—to stage divine kingship.”

Localisation

Aperçu

Preah Vihear occupies a knife-edge promontory of the Dangrek Mountains. A 800 m processional causeway of gopuras and pavements climbs to the sanctuary at the cliff edge—one of the most dramatic approaches in Khmer architecture. Construction spans Yasovarman I through Suryavarman I and II; style phases match Angkorian sandstone work, with pediments of Shiva myths and a commanding view that made the temple a frontier statement as much as a pilgrimage goal.

The International Court of Justice awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962; the surrounding land dispute flared again in the 2000s around UNESCO inscription (2008). Conservation and access have therefore been political as well as technical. Archaeologically the site is clear: a linear temple-mountain adapted to a natural cliff rather than an artificial pyramid.

Pair with Angkor Wat and Wat Phou for Khmer sacred geography at the empire’s edges.

Pourquoi c'est important

Preah Vihear shows how Khmer state temples used extreme landscape—not only barays and city grids—to stage divine kingship. It is also a modern lesson: archaeology, UNESCO listing, and borders can collide over the same stones.

Preuves et interprétation

Distinguer ce qui est bien établi de ce qui reste débattu.

Faits bien établis

1
  • Inscriptions and architectural style phases securely date the sanctuary within the Angkorian Shaiva tradition.

Inférences savantes

1
  • The linear causeway was designed to turn pilgrimage into a staged ascent toward the cliff sanctuary.

Interprétations débattues

1
  • Interpretation of the 1962 ICJ judgment’s implications for adjacent land (not just the temple footprint) remains geopolitically contested.

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Comment citer cette page

Atlas Anatolia. (890). Preah Vihear. Atlas Anatolia. https://atlasanatolia.com/fr/site/preah-vihear

Contenu sous licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — attribution requise en cas de réutilisation.

Sources

  • Angkor — Jacques, Claude (1999)
  • Temple of Preah Vihear — UNESCO (2008)Lien

Questions fréquentes

Où se trouve Preah Vihear ?

Preah Vihear est situé à/en Cambodia.

De quand date Preah Vihear ?

Preah Vihear remonte approximativement à 890 apr. J.-C. – 1150 apr. J.-C..

Quelles civilisations sont associées à Preah Vihear ?

Preah Vihear est associé à la civilisation Khmer.

Pourquoi Preah Vihear est-il important ?

Preah Vihear shows how Khmer state temples used extreme landscape—not only barays and city grids—to stage divine kingship.

Preah Vihear est-il inscrit au patrimoine mondial de l'UNESCO ?

Oui — Preah Vihear est inscrit sur la liste du patrimoine mondial de l'UNESCO.

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