Tour Name: Preah Vihear World Heritage Site Guided Excursion 1d
Tour Code: A1N
Tour Duration: 1 day
Tour Operates: all year round / on demand
Number of Pax: available upon request
Tour Price: available upon request
Pick-up and drop off location
Can be anywhere upon request
Hotel in Siem Reap
Upon arrival in Siem Reap airport
Upon arrival in Siem Reap bus station
Upon arrival in boat pier in Chong Kneah floating village
Any AirBnB and residences in Siem Reap.
Tour start
Preah Vihear world heritage site
Preah Vihear – in the morning, you will be met and welcomed by our English speaking guide, picked up and transferred onward to visit Preah Vihear Temple. It is situated atop cliff in the Preah Vihear province of northern Cambodia (180 kilometers from Angkor Wat) and on the border of Kantharalak district (amphoe) in Sisaket province of eastern Thailand. In 1962, following a lengthy dispute between Thailand and Cambodia over ownership, a majority of the International Court of Justice in The Hague awarded the temple to Cambodia.
Affording a view for many kilometers across a plain, Prasat Preah Vihear has the most spectacular setting of all the temples built during the six-centuries-long Khmer Empire. As a key edifice of the empire's spiritual life, it was supported and modified by successive kings and so bears elements of several architectural styles. Preah Vihear is unusual among Khmer temples in being constructed along a long north-south axis, rather than having the conventional rectangular plan with orientation toward the east. The temple gives its name to Cambodia's Preah Vihear province, in which it is now located.
On July 7, 2008, Preah Vihear was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Construction of the first temple on the site began in the early 9th century; both then and in the following centuries it was dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva in his manifestations as the mountain gods Sikharesvara and Bhadresvara. The earliest surviving parts of the temple, however, date from the Koh Ker period in the early 10th century, when the empire's capital was at the city of that name.
Today, elements of the Banteay Srei style of the late 10th century can be seen, but most of the temple was constructed during the reigns of the Khmer kings Suryavarman I (1002 -1050) and Suryavarman II (1113 -1150). An inscription found at the temple provides a detailed account of Suryavarman II studying sacred rituals, celebrating religious festivals and making gifts, including white parasols, golden bowls and elephants, to his spiritual advisor, the aged Brahman Divakarapandita. The Brahman himself took an interest in the temple, according to the inscription, donating to it a golden statue of a dancing Shiva. In the wake of the decline of Hinduism in the region the site was converted to use by Buddhists.
Lunch at local restaurant (at your own costs)
Ta Mok - continue driving through Ta Mok's house, born Chhit Choeun, 1926 – 21 July 2006) was a Cambodian military chief and soldier who was a senior figure in the Khmer Rouge and the leader of the national army of Democratic Kampuchea. He was best known as "Brother Number Five" or "the Butcher". He was captured along the Thailand-Cambodia border in March 1999 by Cambodian government forces while on the run with a small band of followers and was held in government custody all the way to his death in 2006 while awaiting his war crime trial.
He is believed to have been born into a prosperous country family from Takéo Province, and was of Chinese-Khmer descent. He became a Buddhist monk in the 1930s but left the order at the age of 16. Ta Mok took part in the resistance against French colonial rule and then the anti-Japanese resistance during the 1940s. He was training for the Buddhist priesthood in Pali when he joined the anti-French Khmer Issarak in 1952. He soon left Phnom Penh and joined the Khmer Rouge.
By the late 1960s he was a general and the Khmer Rouge's chief-of-staff. He was also a member of the Standing Committee of the Khmer Rouge's Central Committee ("Party Center") during its period in power. He became very powerful within the party, especially in the south-west zone. He was named by Pol Pot as leader of the national army of Democratic Kampuchea. He lost the lower part of one leg in fighting around 1970.
Ta Mok is believed to have orchestrated many massacres within the zone he controlled from 1973, beginning before the final, complete seizure of power by the Khmer Rouge on April 17, 1975. He was also responsible of directing the massive purges that characterised the short-lived Democratic Kampuchea (1975–1979), including the mass killing of 30,000 people in the Angkor Chey district, earning him the nickname Butcher.
After the regime was overthrown in 1979, Ta Mok remained a powerful figure, controlling the northern area of the Khmer Rouge's remaining territory from his base at Anlong Veng in the Dângrêk Mountains. It is estimated that some 3,000 to 5,000 combatants remained loyal to Pol Pot and were directed by Ta Mok.
In 1997, after a split in the party, Ta Mok seized control of one faction and named himself supreme commander. Pol Pot then fled the Khmer Rouge's northern stronghold, but was later arrested and sentenced to lifelong house arrest. In April 1998, after a new government attack, Ta Mok fled into the forest and took Pol Pot with him. A few days later, on 15 April 1998, Pol Pot died in custody.
In 1998, after several key defections, Ta Mok was forced to flee to Anlong Veng. On 6 March 1999, the general was captured by the Cambodian army near the Thai border and brought to Phnom Penh, where he joined former comrade Khang Khek Ieu ("Duch") at the Military Prosecution Department Detention Facility. Ta Mok was the last leading member of the Khmer Rouge to remain at large in Cambodia; other senior figures had died or already made immunity deals with the government of Hun Sen, including Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan and Ieng Sary.
In prison his detention period was repeatedly extended without his being brought to trial. Under Cambodian law his trial should have begun within six months of his arrest. First charged with membership of an outlawed group and tax evasion, in February 2002 he was charged with crimes against humanity. In poor health, suffering especially from respiratory problems, Ta Mok's only releases from solitary confinement were for hospital visits. On 21 July 2006, due to heart complications caused by the stress of the upcoming trial, he died in a military hospital after falling into a coma.
Return to Siem Reap.
Tour Ends
Creating Unique Touring Experiences
Our expert travel team has planned your trip so that you can experience the very best of what Cambodia and Thailand have to offer. We understand that many will have various needs and wants for each particular tour that may not be included in an itinerary. We will plan any tour to meet your particular demands. Please Send inquiry>>>
Feel free to contact us at
WhatsApp: +85512 971 645
Email: poan45@gmail.com / info@cambodia-service.com
