Phnom Kulen: How a vast ancient city was discovered in Cambodia

Phnom Kulen: How a vast ancient city was discovered in Cambodia

Phnom Kulen a place known to the locals as a living myth.  The story goes that a King  in 802, decalerd himself the divine ruler of all Cambodia, which gave rise to the Khmer Empire.  His name was King Jayavarman the second.

This spark lead to an amazing civilization that built many large scale cities across the empire, none more popular than Angkor Wat.

According to recent archaeological news, archaeologist have discovered a “Phnom Kulen” type city where a central Pyramid lies in the middle with many large scale roads interconnecting to it.

In June, an international team of researchers announced the discovery of a 1,200-year-old city cloaked in the forests of northern Cambodia. It was the size of the country’s modern capital and so sophisticated that the lead scientist feels it may even produce a better understanding of modern cities.

Abandoned to the jungle for a millennium, Mahendraparvata (Mountain of the Great Indra) was located – with the help of a Canadian engineering firm – atop Phnom Kulen, a sparsely populated plateau just 40 kilometres northeast of Angkor Wat, the famed temple complex that is Cambodia’s greatest tourist attraction (it drew more than two million visitors last year).

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