Cambodia
The Kingdom of the Khmer 高棉
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"Though the current history of Cambodia has been one of the profound tradegy,
its past was the epic of a civilization of astonishing splendor and power -
the kingdom of the Khmer. Rising out of the jungles of Cambodia, the ruins
of the great city of Angkor bear eloquent witnesses to a lost culture that
for centuries dominated a substantial part of Southeast Asia. Since their
rediscovery around 1860, these astonishing monuments, created by god-like
kings as pledges of immortality have exercised a powerful fascination over
those who have come to know them. They have also, sadly, fascinated smugglers
of antiquities, souvenir-hunters, and even self-styled "conservators." And
in recent years another, grisly threat was added: the long civil war and its
bitter legacy - thousands of land mines. Despite all these damage, and the
slow, steady encroachment of the jungle, Angkor remains a wonder of
architecture and sculpture. No description, no image, can reproduce the
overwhelming impression created by the breathtaking beauty of the temples,
sanctuaries, and statues submerged in the jungles of Southeast Asia."
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