Ancient Khmer Highway
Encyclopedia
The Ancient Khmer Highway was a 225 km roadway going northwest between Angkor
(in Cambodia
) and Phimai
(now in Thailand
). While it was not the only such road built by the Khmer
, it was the most important one.
Most of the road is overgrown by the jungle, and only visible today on aerial photographs. Few of the rest house chapels or hospital chapels survive (only the chapels remain as they were the only buildings built of sandstone
or laterite
, and all wooden constructions rotted away long ago). The only part of the road which is still driveable is at the entrance to the town of Phimai
(state route 2163).
The road has been proven to exist in the 12th and 13th century, but it is quite certain that it existed earlier. Most of the buildings along the road date from the reign of King Jayavarman VII
.
The road used the Ta Muen Thom pass over the Dongrek mountains, and the first major stop was the Phanom Rung
temple.
Angkor
Angkor is a region of Cambodia that served as the seat of the Khmer Empire, which flourished from approximately the 9th to 15th centuries. The word Angkor is derived from the Sanskrit nagara , meaning "city"...
(in Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
) and Phimai
Phimai
Phimai is a township in the Nakhon Ratchasima Province in the northeast of Thailand. The town is located at . As of 2005 the town has a population of 9,768...
(now in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
). While it was not the only such road built by the Khmer
Khmer Empire
The Khmer Empire was one of the most powerful empires in Southeast Asia. The empire, which grew out of the former kingdom of Chenla, at times ruled over and/or vassalized parts of modern-day Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Burma, and Malaysia. Its greatest legacy is Angkor, the site of the capital city...
, it was the most important one.
Most of the road is overgrown by the jungle, and only visible today on aerial photographs. Few of the rest house chapels or hospital chapels survive (only the chapels remain as they were the only buildings built of sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
or laterite
Laterite
Laterites are soil types rich in iron and aluminium, formed in hot and wet tropical areas. Nearly all laterites are rusty-red because of iron oxides. They develop by intensive and long-lasting weathering of the underlying parent rock...
, and all wooden constructions rotted away long ago). The only part of the road which is still driveable is at the entrance to the town of Phimai
Phimai
Phimai is a township in the Nakhon Ratchasima Province in the northeast of Thailand. The town is located at . As of 2005 the town has a population of 9,768...
(state route 2163).
The road has been proven to exist in the 12th and 13th century, but it is quite certain that it existed earlier. Most of the buildings along the road date from the reign of King Jayavarman VII
Jayavarman VII
Jayavarman VII was a king of the Khmer Empire in present day Siem Reap, Cambodia. He was the son of King Dharanindravarman II and Queen Sri Jayarajacudamani. He married Jayarajadevi and then, after her death, married her sister Indradevi...
.
The road used the Ta Muen Thom pass over the Dongrek mountains, and the first major stop was the Phanom Rung
Phanom Rung historical park
Phanom Rung , or, with its full name, Prasat Hin Phanom Rung , or Prasat Phnom Rong in Khmer, is a Khmer temple complex set on the rim of an extinct volcano at 1,320 feet above sea level, in Buriram province in the Isan region of Thailand. It was built in sandstone and laterite in the 10th to 13th...
temple.