Angkor Wat is the largest and best known temple at the Angkor temple site, an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Angkor Wat: Constructed: Between 1113 and 1150 King/Patron: Suryavarman II Religion: Hinduism Style: Angkor Wat Height of five lotus-like towers: 65m from ground level Angkor (Khmer for 'Holy City') served as the seat of the Khmer Empire which flourished from approximately the 9th century to the 15th century and at its height controlled much of Southeast Asia, areas that included much of today's Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and all of today' Cambodia. The Angkorian period began in AD 802 when the Khmer Hindu monarch Jayavarman II declared himself a 'universal monarch' and 'god-king' - until 1351, when Angkor first fell under Ayutthayan suzerainty, to 1431, when Ayutthaya put down a rebellion, causing its population to migrate south to Longvek. The ruins of Angkor are located amid forests and farmlands to the north of Tonle Sap (Great Lake) and south of the Kulem Hills, near modern-day Siem Reap. The temples of the Angkor area number over one thousand, ranging in scale from nondescript piles of brick rubble scattered through rice fields to the magnificent Angkor Wat, said to be the world's largest single religious monument. Many of the temples at Angkor have been, or are being restored, and together they compromise the most significant site of Khmer architecture. In 2007, an international team of researchers using satellite imagery and other modern techniques concluded that Angkor had been the largest pre-industrial city in the world, with an elaborate system of infrastructure connecting an urban sprawl of at least 1,000 square kilometer (390 sq mi) to the well-known temples at its core. The closest rival to Angkor, the Mayan city of Tikal in Guatemala, was between 100 to 150 square kilometer (39 to 58 sq mi) in total size. Although Angkor's population remains a topic of research and debate, newly identified agricultural systems in the Angkor area may have supported up to one million people (Wikipedia). When Angkor was abandoned, it fell into obscurity. It was slowly disappearing due to the encroaching jungle, thick vines and plants covering all parts of it. In 1860, the French naturalist and explorer Henri Mouhot (May 15, 1826-November 10, 1861) 'discovered' Angkor. His journals and illustrations were posthumously published by his brother in 1861, and he was given credit for the 'discovery'. In actuality, Angkor had never been lost, and Mouhot himself acknowledged the fact that others before him had known about Angkor. In 1550 Angkor was mentioned by a Portuguese historian, and during the 16th and 17th centuries several Spanish books mentioned it. In 1819 a French scholar translated an account of Angkor written by Zhou Daguan, a 13th century diplomat. Angkor's popularity attracting an increasing number of tourists, all walking on the fragile sandstone structures, contributes to the deterioration of the structures. Another increasing problem is theft. Theft has happened at this site since its rediscovery. But it is now done on a larger scale, often by locals in the employ of wealthy foreigners, where trucks or armored vehicles haul large edifices across the border for shipment. This picture was taken on 15 August 2012, Sig...