If you are looking for a place in Angkor with the strongest atmosphere of a city lost in the jungle, then this is Praa Khan. It's not just a temple. It is a huge monastery complex that was once the intellectual and spiritual center of the empire. Now it has turned into a fantastic maze of dilapidated galleries, halls, overgrown courtyards and trees hugging the stones with their roots. There are no crowds of tourists here, like at Angkor Wat. You can safely wander through endless corridors with two-tiered colonnades, look into dim rooms where rays of light play, and feel like a real researcher. There is a special magic in contrast. On the one hand, the power and scale of the stone buildings, on the other, the gentle and ruthless force of nature, which has been reclaiming its territory for centuries. The echoing silence is broken only by the chirping of birds and the rustle of leaves. Praa Khan does not strike with grandeur. It draws you in with its mystery, quiet melancholy and the feeling that every turn hides its own story. A must-visit for those who love atmospheric places with a soul.

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Pavel Sindrevich

Level 30 Local Expert

Praa Khan (royal sword) is a very peculiar institution that once combined the functions of a city, a temple and a Buddhist university. It was poorly preserved, moreover, it was thoroughly looted by the French colonialists, who took away treasures of gold, silver and pearls, precious stones and a sacred cow with gilded horns. Universities were very respectable at that time.

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