Introduction to Cambodia (Angkor)

From about 800 A.D. to 1,400, Angkor was the capital of the Khmer Empire. It was an Indic civilization: indeed, the name "Angkor" is derived from the Sanskrit "nagara," or sacred city. Even the term "Khmer," which is equivalent to "Cambodian," is derived from the Sanskrit Kambuja. Though never entirely forgotten, the site was semi-abandoned for some 500 years, and reports from occasional visitors, both Asian and European, were disregarded until the mid-19th century. A report by Henri Mouhot, published posthumously in 1864, kindled European interest in the site, and French archaeologists began clearing away the forest after the Thai government in 1907 ceded Angkor to Cambodia, then part of French Indo-China. Through the colonial period, Angkor was internationally famous, but the visitor load was light in comparison to today. During the 1970s and 1980s, the ruins were occupied by Khmer Rouge forces.  Tourists stopped coming, and maintenance ceased. Since 1991, Angkor has been open to foreign visitors once again. Now the biggest threat is the destruction not of the place but of the experience of the place: Angkor is almost overwhelmed by crowds of visitors flying in for a glimpse of the exotic.