City temple

Magnet #1075 - Angkor Wat, Cambodia

About a month ago, I put down Egypt and Russia at the top of my bucket list of places to visit. Let's just say I'll not be doing any more bucket lists.

So here's someplace that I will likely never be able to visit in my lifetime - Angkor Wat ("City Temple") religious temple in Cambodia. My friend brought this magnet back for me during her trip around Asia, and I'm superjealous, because it's one of those 1001 Buildings to See Before You Die buildings.

Began in the first half of the 12th century (!), it was originally a temple dedicated to the Hindu god, Vishnu, as the King Suryavarman II's original temple and palace. About 200 years later, it was repurposed as a Buddhist temple, and has been such ever since.

It's also included as a UNESCO World Heritage site, as well as one of the largest religious structures in the world. The architecture is so grand that you have to see it to believe it, and over the last several centuries, it's never been completely abandoned, having been protected mainly by the giant (190 m) outer moat, an even gianter outer wall, plus the jungle terrain surrounding it.

I was going to expand on the architecture and the bas reliefs and the orientation of the site, and the different temples and galleries...but for my own sake, I need to stop this magnetpost now.

Otherwise I'll have myself convinced that I need to visit. And I'm no longer doing bucket lists, remember?