Angkor National Museum is an

archaeological museum An archaeology museum is a museum that specializes in the display of archaeological Types Many archaeology museum are in the open air, such as the Ancient Agora of Athens and the Roman Forum. Others display artifacts inside buildings, such as Na ...

dedicated to the collection, preservation and presentation of

Angkor Angkor ( km, អង្គរ , 'Capital city'), also known as Yasodharapura ( km, យសោធរបុរៈ; sa, यशोधरपुर),Headly, Robert K.; Chhor, Kylin; Lim, Lam Kheng; Kheang, Lim Hak; Chun, Chen. 1977. ''Cambodian-Engl ...

ian artifacts, also to provides information and education about art and culture of Khmer civilization, with collections mainly dated from Khmer Empire's

period circa 9th to 14th-century. Most of the artifacts are discovered in and around the Angkor archaeological sites nearby. The museum is located in

Siem Reap Siem Reap ( km, សៀមរាប, ) is the second-largest city of Cambodia, as well as the capital and largest city of Siem Reap Province in northwestern Cambodia. Siem Reap has French colonial and Chinese-style architecture in the Old F ...

, Cambodia, on the way between downtown Siem Reap to northern road leading to Angkor ancient city. Opened on 12 November 2007, the Angkor National Museum covers the golden era of the Khmer Empire, making use of audio-visual multimedia technology. The museum covers Khmer history, civilization, and cultural heritage in eight galleries. The museum has a strict no-photos policy. The museum is owned and operated by

Thai Thai or THAI may refer to: * Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia ** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand ** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand *** Thai script *** Thai (Unicode block ...

Vilailuck International Holdings, based in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

. It is currently displaying archaeological objects borrowed from the Cambodian National Museum in

Phnom Penh Phnom Penh (; km, ភ្នំពេញ, ) is the capital and most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since the French protectorate of Cambodia and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its economic, indus ...

. Another source of artifacts is the Conservation d'Angkor, a storage facility of some 6,000 pieces created by the

École française d'Extrême-Orient The French School of the Far East (french: École française d'Extrême-Orient, ), abbreviated EFEO, is an associated college of PSL University dedicated to the study of Asian societies. It was founded in 1900 with headquarters in Hanoi in wh ...

in 1908 and currently in the hands of the Cambodian Ministry of Culture.

Galleries

The exhibits in this museum are arranged in flowing single direction through themed galleries. Audio guides are available at the entrance in Khmer language, English, French, German, Japanese, Chinese, Korean and Thai language. The galleries are: #The Briefing Hall: Before entering the galleries, visitors are invited to sit in an 80-seat theater for an orientation which will introduce the museum collections, galleries, and its amenities. Show times are scheduled for every 15 minutes and are available in 7 languages; Khmer, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, English, French and Thai. #Gallery of 1,000 Buddha: The gallery displays

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

spiritual influence upon

Cambodian people The Khmer people ( km, ជនជាតិខ្មែរ, ) are a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Cambodia. They comprise over 90% of Cambodia's population of 17 million.

, from the ancient Khmer civilization to the modern Cambodia. The gallery contains the collections of

Buddha statues Much Buddhist art uses depictions of the historical Buddha, Gautama Buddha, which are known as Buddharūpa (literally, "Form of the Awakened One") in Sanskrit and Pali. These may be statues or other images such as paintings. The main figure in ...

and relics. #Gallery A: Khmer Civilization: The gallery explains how the Khmer Empire was established, learn what drove the ancient Khmer to create colossal structures, their faith in their great kings and the history of the land. #Gallery B: Religion and Beliefs: Explains about religion and beliefs of Khmer civilization, including literary works, sculptures, architecture and daily life. #Gallery C: Great Khmer Kings: The gallery displays the history about famous Khmer kings, such as King

Jayavarman II Jayavarman II ( km, ជ័យវរ្ម័នទី២; c. 770 – 850) (reigned c. 802–850) was a Khmer prince who founded and became the ruler of the Khmer Empire (Cambodia) after unifying the Khmer civilization. The Khmer Empire was the ...

, the king who united the two kingdoms of

Chenla Chenla or Zhenla (; km, ចេនឡា, ; vi, Chân Lạp) is the Chinese designation for the successor polity of the kingdom of Funan preceding the Khmer Empire that existed from around the late sixth to the early ninth century in Indoc ...

around 802–850. King

Yasovarman I Yasovarman I ( km, ព្រះបាទយសោវរ្ម័នទី១) was an Angkorian king who reigned in 889–910 CE. He was called " Leper King". Early years Yasovarman was a son of King Indravarman I and his wife Indradevi. Yaaso ...

who established Angkor as the capital between 889 and 900. King

Suryavarman II Suryavarman II ( km, សូរ្យវរ្ម័នទី២), posthumously named Paramavishnuloka, was a Khmer king from 1113 AD to 1145/1150 AD and the builder of Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument in the world which he dedicated t ...

who built

Angkor Wat Angkor Wat (; km, អង្គរវត្ត, "City/Capital of Temples") is a temple complex in Cambodia and is the largest religious monument in the world, on a site measuring . Originally constructed as a Hinduism, Hindu temple dedicated ...

circa 1116–1145. And King

Jayavarman VII Jayavarman VII, posthumous name of Mahaparamasaugata ( km, ជ័យវរ្ម័នទី៧, c. 1122–1218), was king of the Khmer Empire. He was the son of King Dharanindravarman II (r. 1150–1160) and Queen Sri Jayarajacudamani. He was ...

who built

Angkor Thom Angkor Thom ( km, អង្គរធំ ; meaning "Great City"), alternatively Nokor Thom ( km, នគរធំ ) located in present-day Cambodia, was the last and most enduring capital city of the Khmer empire, Khmer Empire. It was established in ...

circa 1181–1201. #Gallery D: Angkor Wat: The gallery displays the history, spiritual concept and architectural technique of constructing the grand structure of

. It also explains the Angkor Wat's

equinox A solar equinox is a moment in time when the Sun crosses the Earth's equator, which is to say, appears directly above the equator, rather than north or south of the equator. On the day of the equinox, the Sun appears to rise "due east" and se ...

phenomenon. #Gallery E: Angkor Thom: The exhibit in this gallery displays about the construction and expansion of

. The changes in religious beliefs, also about ancient engineering plans for public utilities, such roads and large scale irrigation projects to support the city's population. #Gallery F: Story from Stone: The gallery displays stone inscriptions found throughout Angkor that recorded important historical events. #Gallery G: Ancient Costume: The gallery displays the ancient Khmer clothing, jewelry and accessories illustrated by sculptures of gods, goddesses, and the

apsara An apsaras or apsara ( sa, अप्सरा ' lso ' pi, अक्चरा, translit=accharā) is a type of female spirit of the clouds and waters in Hinduism and Buddhist culture. They figure prominently in the sculpture, dance, literat ...

celestial dancers.

Sculpture

Criticism

The name of the museum and its ownership has drawn controversy and criticism; that it is foreign-owned by Thai enterprise and suspected primarily interested in turning a profit instead of a genuine cultural institution, thus it can hardly be called national, especially when Cambodia already has its own National Museum in Phnom Penh. Another criticism is the majority of the Buddhas images in the gallery of 1,000 Buddha allude in design to later

Ayutthaya Ayutthaya, Ayudhya, or Ayuthia may refer to: * Ayutthaya Kingdom, a Thai kingdom that existed from 1350 to 1767 ** Ayutthaya Historical Park, the ruins of the old capital city of the Ayutthaya Kingdom * Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province (locally ...

-era in Thailand and have no aesthetic link with Angkor. The museum design also been criticized as taking form as a "Cultural Mall".

References

{{authority control Museums in Siem Reap 2007 establishments in Cambodia Museums established in 2007 Archaeological museums in Cambodia