Angkor Thom: the Walled City of the Last Great Khmer King

A City of 9 Km2 Behind an 8 M Wall

Angkor Thom is not one monument but a whole city. The laterite walls stand 8 m high and run about 3 km along each side, enclosing about 9 km2 (Wikipedia). Outside the walls lies a moat, and inside were the Royal Palace, temples, terraces and the homes of the court.

By comparison, the nearby Angkor Wat complex is a single temple enclosure, so the two are different kinds of place. If you are weighing up the difference, the Angkor Wat guide covers the temple in detail.

Jayavarman VII and the Late 12th Century

The city was founded by Jayavarman VII, who reigned from 1181 to 1218 (Wikipedia). He was the most prolific builder in Khmer history: the same king raised Ta Prohm, Preah Khan, Neak Pean and the Bayon, and is credited with 102 hospitals and 121 rest houses (Wikipedia). Angkor Thom was his capital, and at its centre he set his state temple, the Bayon.

The city remained in use after his death, and the Baphuon was even converted with a huge reclining Buddha around 1430 to 1440 (Wikipedia).

What You Need to Enter

There is no separate ticket for Angkor Thom. The Angkor Pass covers it, along with more than 50 temples in the park (Angkor Enterprise). The pass costs US$37 for one day, US$62 for three days and US$72 for seven days on the official Angkor Enterprise site.

Park entry runs from 5:00 AM to 6:30 PM on all three passes (Angkor Enterprise). Children under 12 enter free with their passport (Wikivoyage). None of the tours compared on this site include the pass, so budget it on top of the tour price every time.

Shrines at the Corners

Sandstone shrines called Prasat Chrung stand at the four corners of the city walls, dedicated to Avalokiteshvara (Wikipedia). No tour on this site lists them as a stop. The Angkor Sunrise Cycling Tour rides along the Angkor Thom wall, though its listed stops are Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm and the Bayon.

Face Towers and Galleries

The Bayon has three tiers: an outer gallery, an inner gallery and an upper terrace with a central tower that rises 43 m. Wikipedia counts 49 face towers originally with 37 remaining, and gives about 200 faces in one passage and 216 in another, depending on how partly preserved faces are counted. Wikivoyage says 54 towers with four faces each and 216 faces in all, so the two counts conflict.

Scholars have proposed the faces show Jayavarman VII, the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, or both. The outer gallery carries more than 1 km of reliefs with armies, naval battles against the Cham, markets and palace scenes. The inner gallery, added under Jayavarman VIII, shows mainly Hindu myth scenes.

The central Buddha statue is 3.6 m tall and was recovered from a well in 1933. Since 1995 the Japanese Government Team for the Safeguarding of Angkor has been the main conservation body. Our full Bayon temple guide goes deeper.

Best Light for the Faces

Wikivoyage says the Bayon is best from about 10:00 to 16:00, because the tall towers leave the faces in shadow early and late. Enter from the east. Many tours solve this by pairing the sunrise at Angkor Wat with a later Bayon, which is what the Angkor Wat Small-Group Sunrise Tour and the private Angkor Wat Sunrise Private Tour do.

Both visit the Bayon inside Angkor Thom, and neither includes the Angkor Pass, which you buy separately (US$37 for one day on the official site).

A Capital of 80,000 to 150,000

Wikipedia estimates the city sustained a population of 80,000 to 150,000 people. Indochinatravel puts the figure at more than 100,000, which sits in the same range. Siemreap.net goes far higher and says about one million, a number Wikipedia does not support.

The laterite walls enclose 9 km2, and Wikipedia and Indochinatravel agree on the lower counts. Jayavarman VII reigned from 1181 to 1218 and also built Ta Prohm, Preah Khan, the Bayon and Neak Pean, along with 102 hospitals and 121 rest houses across his kingdom.

Sack, Move and Silence

Wikipedia records that the Ayutthaya Kingdom sacked Angkor Thom under Borommarachathirat II. After that, Ponhea Yat moved the capital to Phnom Penh. The city emptied out completely.

By 1609 it was uninhabited, and an early Western visitor who saw it compared it to the Atlantis of Plato. The stone city outlived its people. The South Gate now sits 7.2 km north of Siem Reap and 1.7 km north of the Angkor Wat entrance, about 30 minutes from the town centre.

For temples built before and after the capital, the guides to Preah Khan and Ta Prohm pick up the story.

Which Gate Is Which

The table below sets out the gates as Wikipedia and Wikivoyage describe them. Sources differ slightly in how they count: Wikipedia describes gates at each cardinal point plus the Victory Gate 500 m north of the east gate, while Wikivoyage describes five entrance gates plus the Victory Gate in the east wall. Either way, you pass through one of them in a vehicle on almost every visit, because the roads of the Small Circuit and the Grand Circuit run through the walls.

The South Gate Causeway

The South Gate is the entrance that tour itineraries name. A causeway crosses the moat flanked by rows of stone figures carrying the body of a serpent, the gods on one side and the demons on the other in the famous churning scene. Tours such as the Angkor Wat Small-Group Sunrise Tour list the Angkor Thom South Gate explicitly among their stops, so it is on that route.

Tuk-tuks and the Gates

The gate passages are only 3.5 m wide and 7 m high (Wikipedia). Wikivoyage says the Little Circuit leaves the city by the Victory Gate and the Big Circuit by the North Gate.

The Moat and the Wall on Foot

Siemreap.net gives the moat as 100 m wide and the wall as 12 km around in total. Wikipedia gives 8 m high laterite walls about 3 km long on each side. Wikivoyage reports that walking the full wall circuit is about 13 km and takes around 3.5 hours, and warns that the condition of the path varies along the way, so treat the walk as a project rather than a stroll.

Most visitors skip it and cross the moat only on the causeway into the South Gate by tuk-tuk or bicycle.

Devas, Asuras and a Naga

A row of devas stands on the left of each gate causeway and asuras on the right, each holding a naga as in a tug of war. The scene refers to the Churning of the Sea of Milk, the Hindu creation myth in which gods and demons pull on a serpent to churn the ocean. The Bayon sits at the centre of the city as the pivot of the whole design.

On the south causeway the figures are often described as 54 devas and 54 asuras, a count from Living in Cinnamon's travel blog that Wikipedia does not confirm, so count them yourself as you walk. Prasat Chrung shrines dedicated to Avalokiteshvara stand at the city's corners.

Whose Faces

Each gate tower rises 23 m above a gateway 3.5 m wide and 7 m high. Wikipedia says the giant faces on the towers may represent the king, Avalokiteshvara or the guardians of the cardinal points, and no source settles the question. The same ambiguity applies inside the walls.

Compare them with the faces of the Bayon temple from the causeway first, then decide for yourself.

The Monuments at a Glance

The table lists the five monuments this page owns, with their dates as the sources give them. Two were built before Jayavarman VII founded the city around them, which is why the Baphuon and Phimeanakas are older than the walls that now enclose them.

The Baphuon

The Baphuon is the biggest sight inside the walls after the Bayon. Its base measures 120 m by 100 m and it stands 34 m tall even without its lost tower (Wikipedia). Its restoration is a story of its own: the French-run EFEO dismantled the temple block by block, the work was abandoned in 1970 with about 300,000 numbered blocks spread over 10 hectares and the plans lost, and a 16-year restart finished in April 2011, with the temple reopened on 3 July 2011.

A reclining Buddha was built into its west side around 1430 to 1440.

Phimeanakas and the Royal Palace

The Royal Palace stood north of the Bayon near Victory Square, and Phimeanakas was incorporated into it (Wikipedia). The legend attached to the pyramid is one of the strangest in Angkor: kings were said to spend the first watch of every night in the tower with a woman believed to be a Naga, and calamity would strike the kingdom if a king failed the visit (Wikipedia).

Terrace of the Elephants

The Terrace of the Elephants is 350 m long and served as a reviewing stand for ceremonies and for the king watching his army return (Wikipedia). Elephants are carved on the eastern face, life-size garudas and lions run along the middle of the wall, and each end shows a parade of elephants with their Khmer mahouts. You walk it quickly, but the carvings reward a slow pass on the section nearest the centre.

Terrace of the Leper King

A short walk north along the wall brings you to the Terrace of the Leper King, in the north-west corner of the Royal Square. The statue is Bayon style, from the reign of Jayavarman VII, and the figure standing there today is a replica (Wikipedia). The name came from moss and discoloration that made the statue look diseased, tied to a legend that King Yasovarman I had leprosy, but a 14th-15th century inscription links the figure to Dharmaraja, an epithet of Yama, the god of death.

The Bayon in One Paragraph

At the exact centre of Angkor Thom stands the Bayon, Jayavarman VII's state temple, with its face towers and more than 1 km of bas-reliefs (Wikivoyage). Wikipedia counts 49 face towers once, of which 37 remain, and about 200 faces, while Wikivoyage gives 54 towers and 216 faces, so the counts differ by source. Its central tower rises 43 m.

The temple deserves its own visit plan, best light and gallery-by-gallery detail, which you will find on the Bayon temple page.

Preah Palilay and the Leper King Original

Two details complete the monument list. Preah Palilay, in the north-west of the walled city, is a quiet temple with trees overhanging the ruins, and Siemreap.net names it as a peaceful stop inside the walls. At the Terrace of the Leper King, the statue standing on the terrace today is a replica.

Siemreap.net says the original is in the National Museum of Phnom Penh. The statue here is a copy of one linked by a 14th-15th century inscription to Dharmaraja, an epithet of Yama, the god of death. The name Leper King came from moss and discoloration on the figure that resembled leprosy.

The Route That Works

The usual order is to enter by the South Gate over the causeway of gods and demons, drive straight to the Bayon at the centre of the city, then continue north to the Baphuon, the Royal Palace enclosure with Phimeanakas, and the Terrace of the Elephants, finishing at the Terrace of the Leper King. From there the Victory Gate exit puts you on the Little Circuit towards Ta Prohm and Srah Srang, which is exactly the sequence used by tours such as the Private Angkor Temple Highlights Tour, whose itinerary runs South Gate, Bayon, Baphuon, Phimeanakas, both terraces, then Victory Gate. Wikivoyage confirms the Little Circuit exits the city by the Victory Gate and the Big Circuit by the North Gate.

How Long You Get Here

Time on site depends on the tour. A fast morning circuit such as the Private Angkor Wat Ta Prohm Angkor Thom Tour compresses Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm and Angkor Thom into 4 to 5 hours, so the walled city gets a shorter stop. Full-day tours of 7 to 9 hours give the Bayon and the terraces a fuller block.

Day 1 of the Angkor Wat 3-Day Tour combines Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm, Ta Nei, the walled city (Bayon, Baphuon, Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas and the Terraces) and Phnom Bakheng.

Which Tours Spend Longest Inside the Walls

If Angkor Thom is your priority, these are the tours whose itineraries name the city and its monuments directly. Remember that none of these prices includes the Angkor Pass, which Angkor Enterprise sells at US$37 for one day and US$62 for three days.

• The Private Angkor Temple Highlights Tour spends a 7-hour day on the city: South Gate, Bayon, Baphuon, Phimeanakas, Terrace of the Elephants, Terrace of the Leper King and Victory Gate. $31 per person, and the $37 pass is paid onsite, giving a you-pay total of $68.
• The Private Angkor Wat Ta Prohm Angkor Thom Tour is a 4 to 5 hour private SUV sunrise day, $75 per person plus the $37 pass at checkout, so $112 in total. It suits travelers who want the three headline sights only.
• The Angkor Wat 3-Day Tour covers the walled city on day 1 (Bayon, Baphuon, Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas and the Terraces) alongside Angkor Wat and Ta Prohm, at $241.75 per person with the $62 three-day pass added, so $303.75.
• The Angkor Wat Small-Group Sunrise Tour covers the South Gate, Baphuon and both terraces after its sunrise, at $15 per person plus the $37 pass, $52 in total per its listing.
• The Private Angkor Sunrise Tour names the Bayon, the Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper King on a 7-hour private day at $30 per person, with the Angkor Pass paid in cash at the ticket office.

Timing and Heat

Wikivoyage says the Bayon is best from about 10:00 to 16:00, which lines up well with a mid-morning arrival through the South Gate after an early Angkor Wat sunrise. The park opens at 5:00 AM and closes at 6:30 PM on all passes (Angkor Enterprise). Carry water and a hat in the middle of the day.

The dress code applies here as everywhere in the park: long trousers or a long skirt and covered shoulders, and a scarf over bare shoulders is not accepted (Wikivoyage).

Doing It Without a Tour

You can also see the walled city under your own steam. The Angkor Temples Bike Tour shows that the walls and the city roads work by bicycle, riding 30 km in a day through the forest tracks between Angkor Wat, the Bayon and Ta Prohm at $33 per person, pass not included, $70 with the pass per its listing. The Angkor Sunrise Cycling Tour rides the wall of Angkor Thom itself on a 15 to 25 km route at $69 per person, $106 with the pass.

For a self-guided tuk-tuk day, Wikivoyage quotes about US$15 for the main temples and US$20-30 for outlying ones, while Nomadic Matt quotes about US$25 per day for 3 to 4 people, so ask and agree the price before setting off. The homepage has the full comparison of Angkor Wat tours from Siem Reap if you would rather hand the driving to someone else.

Where the Prices Here Come from

All tour prices above are the US dollar card prices of the tours compared on this site, and the totals quoted are each tour's own stated price with the pass. Pass prices come from Angkor Enterprise.

Quieter Corners of the City

The south gate carries most of the traffic. Siemreap.net suggests entering by the west or north gate instead. The Next Crossing says few visitors climb the Baphuon, which you reach along a 200 m elevated walkway.

Siemreap.net also calls Preah Palilay in the north-west corner quiet, with trees overhanging the ruins, and names the south-west corner of the wall by the moat as a sunset spot. One warning from The Next Crossing applies everywhere in the park. Ignore unofficial guides who approach you at the gates, because they may charge for unwanted services.

The Angkor Temples Bike Tour follows forest paths to the Bayon and the Elephant Terrace, but its listing names none of these quieter stops.