Knowra Khmer architecture Khmer architecture Khmer architecture comprises the building traditions of the Khmer people, especially the temples, reservoirs, roads, and cities of the Khmer Empire in Cambodia.
Angkor Wat : A twelfth-century Khmer temple complex in Cambodia, built under King Suryavarman II and dedicated to Vishnu. Its galleries, towers, and moat exemplify the tradition at monumental scale.
Funan : An early Southeast Asian polity that flourished in the Mekong delta and nearby regions during the first centuries CE. Its trade networks and religious contacts preceded the rise of Khmer state architecture.
Sandstone : A sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized mineral or rock grains cemented together. Carved sandstone supplied the visible surfaces and structural blocks of major temples.
Bakong : A ninth-century temple mountain at Hariharalaya, built under King Indravarman I near present-day Siem Reap. Its stepped sandstone-and-laterite pyramid is an early large-scale temple mountain.
Angkor Thom : A walled Khmer imperial city centered on the Bayon, established in the late twelfth century. Its gates, walls, and urban plan extended royal architecture beyond temple buildings.
Prasat : A Khmer sanctuary tower, typically built over a shrine and crowned by a stepped or lotus-shaped roof. The sanctuary tower is the characteristic vertical unit of Khmer temple design.
Chenla : The name used in Chinese sources for early Khmer polities that followed Funan and preceded the Angkorian empire. Its regional centers formed part of the political landscape before Angkor.
Quarrying : The extraction of stone from the ground for use in construction or other purposes. Quarrying shaped the supply of sandstone blocks for Angkorian building projects.
Banteay Srei : A tenth-century Hindu temple in Cambodia, noted for its small scale and finely carved pink sandstone. Its intricate carving offers a striking contrast to Angkor's larger royal complexes.
Khmer sculpture : Sculpture produced in Khmer cultural settings, including stone images, architectural carvings, and bronze works. Architectural sculpture helped define the visual language of Khmer sacred spaces.
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