-
Khmer Dance Troupe
Photograph by Steve McCurry
Dancers in traditional Khmer dress prepare to perform at the Angkor temple complex. Khmer culture almost vanished during the bloody reign of the Khmer Rouge communists in the 1970s, but Cambodians today are reclaiming their inheritance.
-
Ta Prohm Temple, Angkor Wat
Photograph by Gray Martin
Giant strangler fig tree roots embrace the crumbling Ta Prohm temple at Angkor. Although the forest has overrun this sacred site, it has largely escaped the looting that decimated many of its fellow Cambodian temples.
-
Buddha, Angkor Thom
Photograph by Justin Guariglia
A Buddha statue brings life to the stone remnants of Angkor Thom. Unfortunately, the poverty and strife that has gripped Cambodia since the 1970s has led to the pervasive looting of temples, leaving only a few hints of the region's previous glory.
-
Buddhist Monks
Photograph by Steve McCurry
Buddhist monks inhabit the Angkor temples today just as their ancestors did during the height of the Khmer empire (from the 9th to the 13th centuries), when Angkor was the capital city.
-
Skulls From the Killing Fields
Photograph by Justin Guariglia
During Pol Pot's reign in the 1970s, his Khmer Rouge killed between one million and two million people in their communist revolution. Skulls, like these on display in the Tuol Sleng museum, are all that remain of the anonymous victims of genocide.
-
Royal Palace, Phnom Penh
Photograph by Richard Nowitz
Silhouetted against a cloudy sky, a young man rides an elephant outside the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia, which is now a constitutional monarchy.
-
Phnom Penh
Photograph by Mediacolor's/Alamy
The hustle and bustle of modern-day Phnom Penh is a far cry from the poor farmlands that stretch across much of the country, most of which still lack infrastructure such as roads, phones, and electricity.
-
Monks Outside the Silver Pagoda
Photograph by The Photolibrary Wales/Alamy
A group of monks walks along the wall of the Royal Palace's Silver Pagoda temple complex in Phnom Penh. Most Cambodians practice Theravada Buddhism, which has been popular in the region for at least 1,500 years.
-
Cambodian Farmers
Photograph by Justin Guariglia
Cambodian farmers in traditional bamboo hats carry their products to a local market in Siem Reap. Close to three-quarters of Cambodia's population are agricultural laborers, but the textile industry and tourism are quickly changing the nation's economy.
-
Mekong River
Photograph by Steve Raymer
Traditional boats cross the Mekong River at dusk. Famed for its endangered giant catfish, which can grow nearly ten feet (three meters) long, the Mekong River has always played an important role in Cambodian culture.
-
Bokor
Photograph by Paul Hayman/Alamy
The ruins of the Bokor Palace Hotel overlook the Gulf of Thailand. Once an idyllic resort during the French colonial period, Bokor is now best known for its vistas.
-
Battambang
Photograph by Adam Deschamps/Alamy
A man naps in his hammock along the bank of the Sangker River in Battambang. Inland waterways like the Sangker still often act as primary travel routes between remote cities.
