Asia: Temples of Angkor

The temples of Angkor cover many kilometres and are in varying states of repair from ruins with trees growing through the temples and walls to ones which have been restored, a term that is used loosely. They are a site to behold and the details in the temples are amazing. Many have intricate carvings depicting battles, heaven and hell and religious figures from Buddhism and Hinduism. Depending on who was ruling the area at the time, the religion bounced around from Buddhism to Hindu and back again. Carvings of Buddha where scratched out and then replaced, heads were cut off the Buddha statues, but a lot of the carvings remain. Most of the statues were destroyed or taken to France for museums and private collectors.
A surprising number of wats were constructed from the tenth to thirteenth centuries. The large sandstone blocks were cut from a quarry 50km away and floated downstream on barges. The construction was dry fitting, the blocks were fitted together tightly without mortar reminding me of the Incas. Foundations and walls were made of volcanic stone as it was tougher and available and the temples were made of sandstone as it was easy to carve.
Angkor Wat is the most famous but the Bayon temple in Angkor Thom is one of the most beautiful along with Bateay Srei. Angkor Wat and many of the wats are surrounded by moats as they used the soil that was removed to build the foundations. Also if the soil stayed moist, it was more stable and the foundations did not settle or move. You can see it in the temples where there is still water in the moats as compared to the ones that are dry. Most are also surrounded by walls which also protected the cities within. None of the buildings remain as they were built of wood. It must have been a sight to see, the cities were planned and very orderly. They had drainage and sewers and urban planning. The ancient cities were planned whereas the modern one, Siem Reap, was not.
We spent three days exploring the temples and did not see half of it.