Yashodhara no. 3: July - December 2000

The Conservation of Angkor Vat

New protection measures are being taken at the temple of Angkor Vat. One example of these relatively minor but effective measures is the rope barrier placed in front of the first level gallery bas-reliefs. A series of daily maintenance activities are also now ensured.

This picture shows a water basin in Angkor vat's gallery of a Thousand Buddhas (Preah Pean). Maintenance teams repaired the ancient drainage system connected to Preah Pean to clear out water stagnating in the basins and to prevent future build-up.

The region was however to see unprecedented flooding this year. Angkor Vat underwent minor damage when the Siem Reap river overflowded into the temple's moats. Maintenance teams took diverses measures to minimize potential problems.

Buddhist practices have gained in importance at Angkor Vat over the past year, while activities which would seem to use the cover of Buddhism for primarily commercial or non-religious purposes are discouraged. This picture shows a group of worshippers making an offering of a newly sculpted stone Buddha statue at the gallery known as "Paen Lic", in perpetuation of a centuries-old tradition at Angkor Vat.

The Conservation of Angkor Thom

The Conservation of Angkor Thom was established only six months ago. Initial work consisted in hiring and training temple guards, and taking emergency protection measures. We are now in the process of opening public access to a number of relatively unknown sites inside the ancient city. This includes clearing two pedestrian paths, one to "Trapeang Doun Meas", a large pond in Angkor Thom's northwestern quadrant, and another along the city enclosure wall, from "Tonle Om" (south) Gate to "Ta Kau" (west) Gate.

We are also currently opening access to two small temples inside Angkor Thom: the Western and Eastern Prasat Top, known by scholars as respectively "Monument 486" and "Mangalartha". The Western Prasat Top has a long history, beginning with its foundation as a Brahmanic place of worship around the 10th century, followed by successive modifications for the Buddhit cult into the 17th century. The Eastern Prasat Top is most notable as the last Brahmanic temple known to have been built at Angkor.

The Conservation of Kbal Spean

Faced with a series of new protection and management problems at the relatively isolated site of Kbal Spean, APSARA decided to found a special Kbal Spean conservation unit; this unit will soon be expanded to cover the temple of Banteay Srei. Following official programme inauguration, Siem Reap's demining group CMAC verified site safety. Guards were then hired and are currently undergoing training; a technical team is working to landscape the base of the mountain. Facilities here include a guard house and a parking lot; space has been cleared for limited future development of associated services. Minor work is also being carried out along the mountain path to facilitate visits while protecting the archaeological and natural heritage.

The site of Kbal Spean has always been - at least in modern times- uninhabited, frequented only by mountaineers and hermits. The site was made known to modern researchers, and subsequently to the general public, in the 1960s. Its riverbed and banks covered with sacred sculptures (some of which have unfortunately been destroyed by looters in recent years), Kbal Spean is a unique component of the Cambodian heritage, unifying culture and nature in a remarkably harmonious whole. The man pictured here is collecting medicinal roots in Kbal Spean's jungle.

Prasat Pre Rup

The second phase of restoration at Pre Rup temple was recently completed. The Technical Committee of the International Coordinating Committee for Angkor (ICC) is currently reviewing the third phase proposal for restoration of the five top level towers. Work at Pre Rup is financed and executed by the Ingegneria Geotecnica E Strutturale s.n.c. team. Techniques used here do not require fully dismounting the tower structures . Reinforced concrete layers and metal belts were inserted into sanctuary floors to otherwise consolidate the ground level brick towers.

Research on ancient kilns

The joint research project on the ancient kilns of Tani village, carried out in collaboration with the Nara National Cultural Properties Research Institute and the Sophia University International Angkor Mission since the mid-1990s, has recently entered a new and important phase. Excavations on the A6 kilns were completed as the bottom of the kiln floor was uncovered. With the full structure of the kiln made legible, researchers have been able to advance understandings of firing techniques employed in ancient times. This is the first time detailed research has been carried out on ancient kilns in Cambodia proper. Previous studies of Khmer kilns have been limited to sites located in ancient Cambodia's provincial territories; now part of modern Thailand.

Training

The "Ta Nei II" training program will be held from December 2000 through April 2001. Trainees this year will include archaeologists, architects and engineers, as well as tourism specialists and administrators. Extensive interviews were held to select 25 trainees from a pool of over 80 applicants.A number of international institutions, including the Universities of Bologna (Italy) and Cologne (Germany), as well as UNESCO, will be participating in the multi-disciplinary programme. Specialists from those institutions will join other international and national instructors working under the umbrella of APSARA.

Emergency work

APSARA's mobile maintenance team has been in existence for 6 months now. The team is to be gradually reinforced with additional labourers and technical supervisors over coming years, suhc as it should be fully functional by the end of 2003. In addition to ensuring daily technical maintenance, the team responds to urgent problems as they arise. Given the extent of the Park and the fragility of many monuments, in particular during the rainy season, the team is not yet capable of responding to all such needs. This team is also responsible for building temporary facilities to welcome official government guests in the temples.

The Angkor Sanitation Team

The Angkor Sanitation Team regularly employs some 230 manual labourers. The size of the team can vary slightly as villagers are hired on a daily basis according to seasonal needs. At his origin, this team was fully supported by the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the Food and Agricultural Organisation ( FAO). APSARA has gradually taken over the supervision and financing of the team, for which we will be fully responsible beginning in January 2001. The regular team is periodically reinforced as emergencies arise; additional labourers were, for example, hired to remove trees which fell into the moats of Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom during storms this past rainy season. Sanitation team members also clear rows of vegetation in the northeastern quadrant of Angkor Thom for upcoming archaeological research on the ancient city.

Social issues

Angkor is made up not only of temples, reservoirs and other archaeological sites but alos of villages- villages that have kept Ankgor alive since ancient times. The rise in tourists numbers at Angkor increasingly disturbs the social and environmental equilibrium of the Park. Yet it should be noted that the most fundamental disturbance to village life has been massive logging in the area since the 1980s.Social problems are inevitable. One pressing issue today is the decrease in available land and other natural resources relative to the increase in population needs. We believe that if all those working in and for the region do not succeed in striking a balance between temples, villages and the natural environment, Angkor will become nothing more than a pile of stones. Pictured here is a meeting held between villagers, police, local authorities and NGOs to discuss such issues.

The Angkor International Documentation Centre

Though the Documentation Centre lacks adequate independant space, we are gradually developing different types of documentation needed for work at Angkor. APSARA's social research unit, which has been operational for six months, has collected a significant amount of data on the social environment in the Park, and will continue to do so as new researchers are brought on to the team over coming months. We are also in the process of establishing an active Geographical Information System (GIS), a modern tool essential to efficient site management. ILO specialists have provided training to our Documentation Centre manager and data for use in the nascent system. Up-to-date information already collected on the communities of the Park - such as current land use and rural transport patterns - will soon be entered into the system.

Official visits

Official visits are common at Angkor. The 14th of November saw however a rare sight, with Their Majesties King Sihanouk and Queen Monique accompanying the President's of the People's Republic of China and his wife to a visit to the Park.

Regional infrastructure

The Provincial Department of the Ministry of Public Works continues to refurbish roads within and surrounding the Angkor Park. Having completed work on the central network, teams are now tarring the road from Pradak village to Banteay Srei temple.

Tourist infrastructure

Many new hotels have been opened in Siem Reap town over the past few months. A number of these are luxury establishments of international standards.

International film production

Angkor has been the subject of innumerable documentary films over the past decades, yet only recently have international commercial productions returned to the Park. This represents an opportunity for APSARA to develop legally sound procedures for chanelling royalties back in the region while ensuring maximum protection of the cultural and environmental heritage. The French company Go films was the first of this kind, shooting "Parlez-moi d'amour" at Banteay Srei temple. British Paramount Pictures has followed with the major motion picture Tomb Raider using five different locations within the Park. Procedures are in fact currently being established to secure royalties from any images of Angkor used for commercial purposes, in conformity with Royal Decree NS/RKT/0199/18 of January 22, 1999.

Research and domestic publications

APSARA strives to support a range of publications on Angkor - from those addressing research communities to those accessible to the general public. Pictured is a special issue of a bulletin regularly publishing information on birds in Cambodia.