Product Description

The great legacy of the ancient Khmer civilization, the temples of Angkor, cover an area of over 77 square miles in north west Cambodia. These monuments, built between the ninth and 15th centuries—the classic period of Khmer art—are unrivaled in architectural greatness. They are, undoubtedly, one of the wonders of the world, astounding in their splendor and evoking a real sense of awe.

Contains background information on Khmer history, religious beliefs and legends depicted on the bas-reliefs, as well as descriptions of the decorations and architectural features. Detailed, monument-by-monument guide to the sites, including detailed maps and plans, plus four newly accessible temple-complexes accessible by helicopter!

• Phnom Penh section profiles the National Museum, and highlights of Cambodia's capital
• Tongle Sap essay on flora and fauna around the great lake
• Comprehensive background information on Khmer art, religion and cultural traditions
• Detailed architectural descriptions and extensive accounts of all the temples as well as several pre-Angkor sites
• Written by an art historian steeped in the region's art and culture
• 92 color photographs
• 30 maps and plans

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #137426 in Books
• Published on: 2005-07-29
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Turtleback
• 488 pages

Review
An excellent guide, well-written, with beautiful photographs. -- The New York Times

Don't leave home without Angkor by Dawn Rooney. -- San Francisco Chronicle

About the Author
American-born, Dawn Rooney has spent many years researching art history in Southeast Asia. Awarded a PhD in art history in 1983 she has written a number of books on the region's art and culture and contributed to Oriental Art and other journals. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, and educated at Minnesota in computer science and East Asian studies, Peter Danford is a freelance photographer and multimedia developer based in Sydney.

Customer Reviews

Excellent book, but big
If you are like me and avoid tour guides as much as possible, but still like to know about the places you are visiting, then this book is for you. It gives excellent descriptions of the temples. It has lots of background information on the history and on the art you'll see. It also contains wonderful photography. Plus, it has lots of general information on traveling in Cambodia including a section on Phnom Penh. If you are doing a basic Cambodia visit of Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, then this book is all you really need.

My only complaint is that it is a big book, bigger than other tour books like Lonely Planet or Rough Guide. This is a problem if you are trying to travel as light as possible. However, I still recommend taking it.

A general suggestion for visiting the temples: be aware that they are now apparently the second most visited tourist destination in Asia. Lots of Asian tour groups everywhere. To avoid them, go early! Get going at 6AM (or even earlier and go see the sunrise over Angkor Wat!). Then you'll have the temples to yourself for a couple of hours. Midday, when the tours go back to their hotels for lunch is also good, as is late afternoon/early evening. But even with the tour groups around, it is still an amazing place!

A complete guide for an on-site visit
I just returned from a 3-day visit to Angkor and used this book as a background and then as a detailed guide to visit each temple. It is most useful, providing detailed and accurate maps and descriptions of each temple and guiding the reader through the highlights. Well written and easily beats listening endlessly to the vague chatter of most on-site guides.

Angkor, Cambodia's Wondrous Khmer Temples
ANGKOR, Cambodia's Wondrous Khmer Temples is not only a very practical guide for visiting the Khmer monuments at the Angkor archaeological park but also for visiting the Khmer monuments in Phnom Penh. Furthermore this guidebook includes the most important remote temples (Banteay Chhmar, Koh Ker, Preah Vihaer, Beng Mealea).

Apart from a clear description of each temple it also gives a description from their location and from the access.

Important to mention also is the fact it gives a short but clear insight in the old epics (Mahabharata, Ramayana etc.) and legends and this book includes a list of the most forthcoming gods, deities and divinities which makes its easier to understand the bas-reliefs of the Khmer art and architecture.

The book also includes general and practical tourist information as well as for Siem Reap as for Phnom Penh.

Together with the book from Michael Freeman and Claude Jacques "Ancient Angkor" and the book from Jean Laur "Angkor, temples and monuments" one will have the most actual existing complete information about the Khmer art and architecture in Cambodia.
Ancient Angkor (River Book Guides)