Cambodia is the successor - state of the mighty Khmer Empire, which ruled much of what is now Vietnam, Laos and Thailand. Among the achievements of Khmer civilisation are the magisterial temples of Angkor. There is no other historical site in South - East Asia that matches the grandeur of this ancient complex. Apart from the wonders of Angkor, Cambodia has a rich and proud culture, a charming French-era capital (albeit a little weathered) and impressive natural scenery. |
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Present
- day Cambodia is bloodied and bowed after two
decades of internecine war and the July 1997
collapse of shaky UN - sponsored democratic
reforms. The ramifications of Hun Sen's violent
assumption of power and the death of Pol Pot
remain to be seen. The question on everyone's
mind when visiting Cambodia is, how safe is it?
If you stick to Phnom Penh, its surrounding
attractions and Angkor you should be fine. This
is one country where heading off the beaten
track is just plain
stupid. |
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Very
little is known about prehistoric Cambodia,
although archeological evidence has established
that prior to 1000 BC Cambodians subsisted on a
diet of fish and rice and lived in houses on
stilts, as they still do today. From the 1st to
the 6th centuries, much of Cambodia belonged to
the South - East Asian kingdom of Funan, which
played a vital role in developing the political
institutions, culture and art of later Khmer
states. However, it was the Angkorian era,
beginning in the 8th
century, that really
transformed the |
kingdom into an artistic and
religious power. |
