DETAILS: BANTEAY SREI

It is no longer possible to get up close to the pristine friezes at Banteay Srei Temple. Sometime during 2001 ropes were put up to keep tourists back from the 1000-year-old carvings.

Angkor.com is posting a series of closeup photos taken at various times between 1991 and 2000 so everyone can see what only a privileged few can now view. Who needs overpriced coffee table books when you can get it free on the net?

This is a good temple to start a tour of Angkor with (although it takes awhile to get there-- it is 21 km northeast of the Bayon). After seeing the carvings, many so perfectly preserved that they could have been carved yesterday, one can go on to the other more weathered temples of the Angkor area and be able to imagine how fabulous everything must have been 1000 years ago.

UPDATE: March 1, 2003 - Angkor.com wants to clarify: Banteay Srei still SHOULD be visited. While tourists cannot walk between the three towers or on the platform they stand on (see the photo below) there is still much to see.

All photos copyright 1991-2002 Ron Morris. All rights reserved. Reproduction prohibited without permission.

Other parts of Angkor.com
Explore Virtual Ta Phrom
Angkor Portal Angkor & Cambodia Resources
The Forgotten Crypt of Henri Mouhot (1826-1861)
Support ANGKOR.com