Background

WMF’s early damage assessment survey was not without risks: sporadic fighting continued in the region into the early 1990s, and the temples’ grounds were laced with land mines, placed there by the Khmer Rouge.

Despite the dangers, in 1991 we embarked on a comprehensive program of conservation and training at Preah Khan, Ta Som, Phnom Bakheng, and the Churning of the Sea of Milk Gallery at Angkor Wat, the famed temple that is now Cambodia’s most popular tourist destination.

For more than 15 years, we have been helping to conserve one of the most important monumental complexes in the world, training Cambodians in ongoing conservation and stewardship of their country’s heritage, assisting the governmental organization APSARA (Authority for the Protection and Management of Angkor and the Region of Siem Reap) build its management capacity, and enhancing visitors’ appreciation of the religious monuments.

We need your help to continue this important work. For an in-depth look, read “WMF: Fifteen Years at Ankgor” (pdf) or visit the APSARA website. Photo: WMF team at Baksei Chamkrong.