A
minor hurdle to orientation in Phnom Penh
is the frequency with street
names and numbers get changed. The current
denominations which date
back to 1993, seem to have settled in, but
there is still a chance again. The major boulevards
of Phnom Penh run north-south, parallel to
the banks of the Tele Sap and Bassac rivers.
Monivong Blvd cuts north- south through the
center of town, passing just west of the Psar
Thmei
(New Market). |
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ROYAL
PALACE
Phnom
Penh’s Royal Palace, which stand
on the site of the former citadel,
Banteay Kev (Build in 1813), fronts
Samdech Sothearos Blvd between Phlauv
(Ph) 184 and Ph 240. Since Sihanouk’s
return to Cambodia, visitors are only
allowed to visit
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the palace‘s Silver Pagoda and
its surrounding compound. Entry is not
permitted to the rest of the palace
complex. |
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SILVER
PAGODA
The
Silver Pagoda, or the Preach Vihear
Preah Keo Morokat (the Emerald Pagoda)
to Khmers, lies within the grounds of
the Royal Palace, situated near the
banks of the Tonle Sap. Originally a
wooden structure, the palace was initially
constructed in 1892 during the reign
of King Norodom, but rebuilt in its
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present
grandeur by King Norodom Sihanouk in
1962. And he spared no effort to make
this a true embodiment of the brilliance
of Khmer art and a rich of an ancient
culture. More than 5300, 1.125 kilo
silver tiles make up the floor of the
Silver Pagoda, giving it its name among
foreigners. The silver floor alone weights
over 6 tons. The staircase leading into
the pagoda is marble, and inside, two
breathtaking representations of the
Buddha hold court. The Emerald Buddha
is, in fact, made of Baccarat Crystal,
and dates back to the 17th century.
A small |
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glass case nearby enshrines a sacred
Buddha relic, brought from Sri Lanka
by the Venerable Loeva Em, formerly
of Wat Lanka , in 1956. But the second
statue of Buddha (Picture on the left)
is the one which often catches the eye
of visitors the most strongly. Its 90
kilo gold body is studded with 2086
diamonds. The largest , on Buddha's
crown, weighs 25 karats. Cast in 1904
by King Sisowath at the request of his
elder brother King Norodom; it represents Maitreya Buddha in the Buddhist year
5000 - the future Buddha. |
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WAT
PHNOM
Back
in 1372, Phnom Penh was a nameless
and sparely inhabited places. It was
merely a level piece of land to the
west of what was then called Tonle
Chab Chheam, or River of Blood - perhaps
because of the number of battles that
had taken place upstream and regularly
stained its waters red
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with
blood. The river was also called Tonle
Chaktomuk, or river of Four Faces, due
to the confluence of the Tonle Sap,
Tonle Mekong and Tonle Bassac at this
place. One day, a wealthy widow called
Yeay Penh, or Daun Penh(Grandmother
Penh) was walking by the river and noticed
a large Koki tree log floating close
to shore. She called her neighbors to
help it in, and in a hollow of the log
she found four bronze statues of Buddha
and one of stone. That signaled the
birth of the city. The widow built a
hill in an auspicious place and constructed
a shrine on top to house the statues.
This hill became the highest point of
the area and was named Wat Phnom. Phnom
means mountain or hill. Wat Phnom is
now the heart of Phnom Penh - a city
named after Yeay Penh and the hill she
constructed. |
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THE
NATIONAL MUSEUM
The
National Museum offers very interesting
exhibits of more than 5,000 artifacts,
including an eight armed statue of
Vishnu (from 6th or 7th century),
a statue of Shiva (9th century), and
a statue of Buddha dating from pre-Angkor
period. Visitors can also see a statue
of King Jayavarman VII (1181 to after
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1201),
who reconstructed the capital and Angkor
Thom that was pillaged by Cham warriors
in 1177. Jayavarman VII is the king
credited with establishing a network
of roads in Cambodia, using innovative
building techniques to raise them above
the level of swamp and building sophisticated
bridges. Also on display are pottery
and bronze pieces dating back to the
periods of Funan and Chenla (4th to
9th centuries). A massive population
of bats estimated to number more than
one million, flies out from the museum's
attic and circles the capital city of
Phnom Penh before sunset and constitutes
a spectacular sight for tourists. While
Museum authorities want artifacts protected
from bat droppings, wildlife advocates
want these bats protected as well. |
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INDEPENDENCE
MONUMENT
At
the intersection of Norodom and Preah
Sihanouk Blvd; it was build in 1958.
It is now also a memorial to Cambodia’s
war dead and is sometimes known as
the Victory Monument.
Wreaths are laid here on national
holidays.
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TOUL
SLENG MUSEUM
Toul
Sleng Museum: In 1975 Toul Svay Prey
High School was taken over by Pol Pot's
security forces and turned into a prison
known as Security Prison 21(S-21). It
soon became the largest centre of detention
and torture in the country. Every prisoner
who passed through S-21 was photographed;
sometimes |
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before
and after being tortured. The museum
displays room after room of photographs
of men, women, children covering the
walls from floor to ceiling. S-21 claimed
an average of 100 victims a day. Several
foreigners from Australia, France and
the USA were held here before being
murdered. Their documents are on display
as well. |
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CHEOUNG
EK MUSEUM
Killing
Field of Choeung Ek: Between 1975
and 1978 about 17,000 men, women,
children and infants (including nine
westerners) detained and tortured
at S-21 prison were transported to
the extermination camp of Choeung
Ek. They were often bludgeoned to
death to avoid wasting precious bullets.
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PSAR
THMEY
(New
Grand Market) is commonly referred to
as the Central Market The front entrance
to this amazing structure is flanked
by legions of souvenir shops selling
a daunting array of goods to suit almost
any budget and taste. In the middle
under the central dome are |
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shops
selling diamonds, precious stones, watches
and gold and silver items. The eastern
section of the building houses stalls
offering silver and woodcarvings . Here,
one can also find silk product like
the Sampots(Khmer skirts) and krama. |
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PSAR
TOUL TOUM POUNG
(Russian
Market) has been known by its incongruous
English name since 1980s, probably because
there were many Russians and Russian
goods alike then at this covered market
south to Mao Tse Toung Boulevard. Now
this market |
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is
the best place in town for souvenir
hunting. Especially on weekends, it
is crowded with more foreigners than
locals, bargaining for everything from
clothes to shoes, silks sampots and
handbags, woodcarvings, compact discs,
antiques or pottery. |
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