The temples at Angkor Wat are considered among the best surviving examples of ancient religious architecture in the world. The temples were built about a thousand years ago. And relief work on the walls tells of the many threats the ancient empire survived throughout the centuries. But today a new threat to the temples comes from mass tourism. Thousands of tourists now visit the area every day.

 

Local restaurant owner M. believes that too many people walking on the stones are damaging the temples. “Mass tourism destroys any monuments and especially Khmer monuments for a very simple reason - the sandstone on which I sit with my nail. So imagine millions of people walking on them. ”

 

Professor Jacque G. has been excavating in and around the ancient city for five years. He says vehicle pollution affects the stone as well. “Everybody goes at the same time to see the Bayon, everybody goes at the same time to see the Bakeng, everybody enters the city of Angkor Thom at the same spot.”

 

Professor G. recently drew up plans for new type of tourism at Angkor Wat, but says that so far his recommendations have been ignored. “You can extend new type of tourism with the forest - a kind of ecological and archaeological tourism. New itineraries with new ways of transportation, with elephants, with bicycles - make some excavations at some points, explain to people where they are in the city. ”

 

The authorities say they are working hard to protect the temples. Some stairways have now been boarded over and other areas are closed to tourists. But R. says that more must be done.

 

“We need to learn from the advice-how to increase the techniques, how to put more ways, how to protect longer time, how to get people to understand especially awareness to the tourists. When they come they have to understand how to protect together.”

 

With tourist numbers at Angkor Wat growing every year, most agree more needs to be done if the temples are to be protected for future generations.