7.11天天讀圖-世界之旅（柬埔寨吳哥窟Angkor Wat, Cambodia ）

提到吳哥窟，人們自然會想起《花樣年華》的最後一幕：一個男人將無法對人傾訴，甚至自己都無法面對的一段情感秘密講給吳哥窟的一個石洞聽，再把它蓋上，讓發生在花樣年華的故事從此留在吳哥，這裡的一切，包括他的秘密，都會被自然帶走，成為永恆的回憶。

Located in Northwestern Cambodia, Angkor, the Capital of the Ancient Khmer Empire was possibly founded around the Ninth Century AD by King Jayavarman II（蘇利耶跋摩二世）. However, the city reached its peak glory in the 12th Century under Kings Suryavarman II and Jayavarman VII.

The most beautiful and most famous monument in the city, Angkor Wat, lies about one kilometer south of the Royal town of Angkor Thom which was founded by Jayavarman VII.

The Temple of Angkor Wat was dedicated to the Hindu God Vishnu（供奉毗濕奴） by King Suryavarman II, who reigned （統治）between AD 1131 and 1150.

The Temple was constructed over a period of 30 years, and illustrates some of the most beautiful examples of Khmer and Hindu art. Covering an area of about 81 hectares（公頃）, the complex consists of five towers, which are presently shown on the Cambodian national flag.

These towers are believed to represent the five peaks of Mount Meru, the Home of Gods and Center of the Hindu Universe. Angkor Wat features the longest continuous bas-relief in the world, which runs along the outer gallery walls, narrating stories from Hindu Mythology.

With the decline of the Ancient Khmer Empire, Angkor Wat was turned into a Buddhist Temple and was continuously maintained, which helped its preservation. In 1992, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee declared the monument, and the whole city of Angkor, a World Heritage Site.

吳哥是高棉人（柬埔寨的人口最多的民族）的精神中心和宗教中心， 是9-15世紀東南亞高棉王國的都城。「吳哥」（Angkor）一詞源於梵語「Nagara」，意為都市。吳哥王朝（公元802年-1431年）先後有25位國王，統治著中南半島南端及越南和孟加拉灣之間的大片土地，勢力範圍遠遠超出了今天柬埔寨的領土，吳哥所在地暹粒中的「暹」是泰國的簡稱「暹粒」是戰勝泰國的意思。歷代國王大興土木，留下了吳哥城（Angkor Thom）， 吳哥窟（Angkor Wat）和女王宮等印度教與佛教建築風格的寺塔。1431年，泰族軍隊攻佔並洗劫了吳哥，繁華的吳哥從此湮沒於方圓45平方公里榛莽之中，成為一片雜木叢生的廢墟，逐漸被人們遺忘。19世紀後期，吳哥被重新發現。
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