{"id":416,"date":"2022-03-14T14:56:20","date_gmt":"2022-03-14T14:56:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/english\/the-mysterious-civilization-of-cambodias-forests-khmers\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T08:54:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T08:54:06","slug":"the-mysterious-civilization-of-cambodias-forests-khmers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/english\/the-mysterious-civilization-of-cambodias-forests-khmers\/","title":{"rendered":"The Mysterious Civilization of Cambodia&#8217;s Forests Khmers"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p><strong>The Khmer Empire, which ruled most of Southeast Asia, existed between the 9th and 15th centuries.  They built the world&#8217;s largest religious monument on an area of \u200b\u200b163 hectares.  The destruction of the empire, which still dominates the region that forms the lands of today&#8217;s Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar and Malaysia, is among the subjects that still remain mysterious.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The civilization, which adopted the religion of Hinduism, built many temples in the region.  The most famous of these temples is Angkor Wat, located in Angkor, one of its capitals.  Angkor has long been among the largest cities in the world.  Known as the temple city, Angkor is the most visited place in Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1011\" height=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1558\" src=\"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Angkor-Tapinagi2.jpeg\" data-lazy- title=\"\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1011\" height=\"700\" src=\"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Angkor-Tapinagi2.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1558\" title=\"\"><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"h-khmer-imparatorlugu-ve-kurucusu\"><strong>Khmer Empire and Founder<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The founder of the empire, King II.  It is Suryavarma.  A very important king, II.  Suryavarma brought all the imperial elements together by ending the interregnum period.  In the geography full of many small kingdoms, he brought many kingdoms to heel and taxed them.  Khmer people worshiped this extremely powerful king as the shadow of god on earth and declared him a god king.<\/p>\n<p>Angkor, the capital city, was highly developed as a marvel of engineering, architecture and art, and became the largest city in the world.  They built a formidable canal system and water reservoirs so that they could get crops from the soil 3.4 times a year.  The empire, which ruled over water and rice, reached very wide borders.  When the emperor set out to annex India and the holy Varanasi to the Khmer lands, he died on the battlefield and was buried in the Angkor Wat temple.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1568\" src=\"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Angkor-Tapinagi-1024x683.jpg\" data-lazy- title=\"\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Angkor-Tapinagi-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1568\" title=\"\"><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p>As the empire grew and developed, the number of giant temples and monasteries built by god-kings increased day by day.  Temples have also become centers of economic and political power.  With the increase in the number of clergy, students and servants living in the temples, the tax burden on the people has also increased.<\/p>\n<p>The increase in the population of the city day by day has increased the need for new paddy fields.  Trees in the region were cut down, fields were opened and more water tanks were built.  Civilization, which tried to dominate nature, experienced a drought period of 30 years in 1300 due to climate change.  With the drought, the paddy fields were destroyed and the water reservoir was covered with moss and ferns.  In the rainy period following the long drought, the dried and clogged channels could not prevent the flood waters.  There were floods and houses were destroyed.  The Khmer people, who were helpless against the power of nature, had to leave the city of Angkor with the attack of the Siam Kingdom in 1432.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"512\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1560\" src=\"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Beng-Mealea.1-1024x512.jpg\" data-lazy- title=\"\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Beng-Mealea.1-1024x512.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1560\" title=\"\"><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<h3><strong>Mysterious Temples of the Khmer Empire<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Angkor Temple, Khmer king II, who came to the throne in 1113.  It was built by Suryavarman.  It is quite famous for its fine carvings, architecture and art.  Inside the temple are carvings of half-naked spirits known as apsaras.  Angkor Wat is the largest and best preserved of civilization&#8217;s structures.  Located in the jungles of Cambodia, the temple is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1561\" src=\"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Angkor-Tapinagi.1-1024x683.jpg\" data-lazy- title=\"\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Angkor-Tapinagi.1-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1561\" title=\"\"><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p>Beng Mealea Temple, located in the forest, is one of the large and small temples.  The exact date of construction of this temple is not known.  However, it is thought to have been built in the same period as it is similar to Angkor Wat in terms of architecture.  Beng Mealea, which is among the great temples of the Khmer Empire, is visited by thousands of tourists every year.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1562\" src=\"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Beng-Mealea-1024x683.jpg\" data-lazy- title=\"\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Beng-Mealea-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1562\" title=\"\"><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p>One of the other temples in the forest is the Koh Ker temple.  This very ornate temple is located about 2 hours away from Angkor Wat temple.  The temple, which draws attention with its resemblance to the Egyptian pyramids, consists of approximately 7 layers and has a height of 40 meters.  Apart from these temples mentioned in the forest, there are more than 20 temples, large and small, unearthed.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"997\" height=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1563\" src=\"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Koh-Ker.jpg\" data-lazy- title=\"\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"997\" height=\"700\" src=\"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Koh-Ker.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1563\" title=\"\"><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<h3><strong>How Did the Khmer Empire Disappear?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Experts who have been researching for many years have put forward various theories to reveal how the Khmer civilization collapsed in the 15th century.  Some of these theories put forward are social and religious changes, internal turmoil, overpopulation, invasion of Thai armies, or prolonged droughts.  However, no evidence of mass migration has been found.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1564\" src=\"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/khemer4-1024x768.jpg\" data-lazy- title=\"\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/khemer4-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1564\" title=\"\"><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p>In the researches carried out in the region in 2015;  Many archaeological sites have been discovered.  Newly discovered cities within the rainforest have shown that they may even be larger than Cambodia&#8217;s modern-day capital, Phnom Penh.  Since most of the structures built by the Khmers are made of biodegradable and perishable materials and wood, it is thought to have disappeared over the years and remained under the forest.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"679\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1565\" src=\"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/khmer1-1024x679.jpg\" data-lazy- title=\"\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"679\" src=\"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/khmer1-1024x679.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1565\" title=\"\"><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p>In the scans made with today&#8217;s technology;  Beneath the rainforest the enormity of cities and temple complexes is revealed.  Numerous wall foundations, roads and structures unearthed show the size of the city.  Historians of the civilization believe that the Thais migrated to the cities in the south as they began to occupy the forts in the north.  However, no such city was found during the surveys in the southern region, and this idea was not confirmed.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1566\" src=\"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/khmer2-1024x683.jpg\" data-lazy- title=\"\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/khmer2-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1566\" title=\"\"><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1569\" src=\"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/khmer3-1024x683.jpg\" data-lazy- title=\"\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/khmer3-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1569\" title=\"\"><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1570\" src=\"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Koh-Ker1-1024x576.jpg\" data-lazy- title=\"\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Koh-Ker1-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1570\" title=\"\"><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p><h5>Share<\/h5>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Khmer Empire, which ruled most of Southeast Asia, existed between the 9th and 15th centuries. They built the world&#8217;s largest religious monument on an area of \u200b\u200b163 hectares. The destruction of the empire, which still dominates the region that forms the lands of today&#8217;s Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar and Malaysia, is among the &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":417,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-416","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-when"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/416","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=416"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/416\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/417"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=416"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=416"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=416"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}