via Phnom Penh Post, 09 January 2024: Cambodia’s Koh Ker, recently added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List, has been ranked as the 34th top travel destination for 2024 by the New York Times. Once a capital of the Khmer Empire, this remote temple complex, known for its majestic temples and unique structures like the Prasat Thom pyramid, offers a quieter yet enriching alternative to the popular Angkor Wat.
Cambodia’s Koh Ker archaeological site, now a proud member of UNESCO’s World Heritage List, was ranked 34th among the top 52 travel destinations for 2024 by the US-based New York Times (NYT).
Built over a 23-year period, Koh Ker was one of two rival Khmer Empire capitals – the other being Angkor – and was the sole capital from 928 to 944 CE, under King Jayavarman IV, according to UNESCO.
The remote temple complex in Preah Vihear province is situated between the Dangrek and Kulen mountain ranges, some 100km northeast of Angkor in neighbouring Siem Reap province.
“For anyone put off by the constant throngs and overly Instagrammed images of the Angkor Wat Temple in Cambodia – a bucket list destination for seemingly everyone on Earth – a millennium-old sprawl of ruins in a nearby region offers a more remote and adventurous alternative. Built in the 10th century, some two centuries before Angkor Wat, the sacred city of Koh Ker was recognised with UNESCO World Heritage status in the fall of 2023,” the NYT reported in its January 8 edition.
Source: Koh Ker 34th best attraction, says New York Times | Phnom Penh Post
