Phnom Penh City - Pearl of Asia

PhnomPenh is a graceful capital, a small city of old Asia, unlike the developing metropolises in nearby countries. Situated at the confluence of the Mekong, Bassac and Tonle Sap Rivers, the city retains much traditional and colonial charm. French villas hidden among tree-lined boulevards remind the visitor that the city was once considered the pearl of Asia. The riverfront area remains one of the most attractive in the region and is great for a late afternoon stroll. Recent political changes have encouraged a boom, with new hotels, restaurants, bars and nightclubs springing up around the city.

It was founded as a small monastery in 1272 by the rich Khmer woman Penh, after she had found four Buddha statues in a tree trunk on the banks of the Mekong. She set up the monastery on a hill near the bank of the Mekong. The Cambodian word for hill is Phnom. Therefore the name of the town correctly translates as Hill of Penh. Rather significantly Phnom Penh's history is founded on an episode, in which the Buddhist religion played a part, contrary to the Khmer capital of that time, Angkor, which was shaped, and literally so, by Hinduism. Nevertheless, Buddhism had, since the beginning of the 12th century, become the dominant religion. (In Southeast Asia both religions are entwined to a much higher degree than first appears to be the case. For instance, numerous Buddhist temples in Thailand house altars of Hindu deities, especially Brahma, and the details of the royal ploughing ceremony in Bangkok are determined by Brahman, not Buddhist, palace priests... just like Thai coronation modalities).

In 1424, after the Siamese conquest of Angkor in 1421, the Khmer nobility unwilling to submit to Siamese overlords fled from Angkor and established Phnom Penh as the new Khmer capital, just 64 years after the Buddhist monastery had been founded on Penh Hill. However, the Khmer never succeeded in setting up a new kingdom to come close to the glamour of Angkor. In fact, for long periods of time the Khmer kingdom centered in Phnom Penh wasn't a sovereign country but alternatively a satellite state of, or directly ruled by, the Vietnamese or the Thais.

For more than 400 years - until the French made Cambodia their protectorate - the art of politics in Phnom Penh was just an exercise of balancing between the two powerful neighbours. On April 17, 1864, the Cambodian king Norodom accepted for his country the status of a French protectorate. King Norodom expected the French to protect Cambodia from the neighbouring countries Siam (Thailand) and Vietnam.

However, the French protectors did not prevent politically strong Siam from temporarily annexing western parts of the country, including the town of Battambang. Nevertheless, by recognizing French rule, King Norodom preempted moves of Siam and Vietnam to entirely divide his country between them. In past centuries the loss of territory to Vietnam had been more significant. The Mekong delta, or rather the entire present-day South Vietnam, had been settled by Cambodians until well into the 18th century. During almost 90 years of colonial rule the French reshaped and extended Phnom Penh according to their architectural taste. They built broad boulevards and the city received a touch of Mediterranean atmosphere. During the Vietnam war the city grew to more than 2 Million inhabitants, creating an atmosphere of an overcrowded refugee camp rather than a French metropolis.

On April 17, 1975, 20 years after the end of French colonial rule, the Khmer Rouge marched into Phnom Penh. Within weeks the city was emptied, its population forced into provincial labour camps; Phnom Penh became a ghost town. After an increasing number of incidents at the Cambodian-Vietnamese border, Vietnamese troops move into Cambodia and on January 7, 1979, take Phnom Penh. Since then, many of the city's former inhabitants have returned, and new folks have arrived. The city now, once more, counts over a Million inhabitants. Since the signing of the Paris Peace Treaty in 1991, Phnom Penh experienced a great economic boom, despite the civil war still smoldering in far-off parts of the country. Although streets and canalization - destroyed by the Khmer Rouge - are not yet fully repaired, a large number of modern hotels have been built.

This graceful structure is very much a focus of the city. Standing on the site of the former citadel, it was built for King Norodom in front of the Mekong. Inside its walls are the Throne Hall, the Chan Chaya Pavillion, the Napoleon III Pavillion, and the King's and Queen's residential quarters. Today, only the Silver Pagoda is open. The Silver Pagoda is a gilltering chamber of royal treasures, also known as the Pagoda of the Emerald Buddha, Inside, its floor is made up of 5,000 silver blocks. In the centre of the pagoda, there is a magnificent 17th century emerald Buddha statue made of baccarat crystal. The walls enclosing the pagoda are covered with ancient frescoes depicting episodes from the Ramayana.

Another elegant city landmark, the museum is housed in a terracotta-roofed structure of traditional Cambodian design, which was built in between 1917 and 1920. It offers a charming setting for a stunning collection of Khmer art. The intricate sculptures date from both the Angkorian and pre-Angkorian eras, complimented by recent examples of Cambodian art and a wooden Buddha collection. The National Museum of Arts is to the North of the palace grounds, on the opposite side of 184th street. The building was designed in Khmer-style in 1920 by a French architect. The most important artifacts are sculptures from the Angkor era and before. The museum is open daily 7 to 11:20 am and 2 to 5 pm, except on Mondays. Entrance fee is two US Dollars. English and French speaking guides are available.

Standing atop a small hill is the 15th century stupa containing the ashes of an early monarch. Wat Phnom is a city landmark and a place for worship. If you are observant enough, you may find names of "Phnom Penh" & Wat "Phnom" share some common words. Yes. The capital city's name of Phnom Penh is more or less interrelates with a small hill-top Cambodian temple of Wat Phnom with "Wat Phnom Daun Penh" in its full name. Wat means temple (as with the Thai), Phnom, in native Khmer is equivalent to a "hill"; so, most people referred it as hilltop temple or a temple on the hill. The temple's location on this greenery hill is also the highest spot in the capital city but the hill was a actually a man-made formation.

Facing the Tonle Sap near the Royal Palace, this pagoda serves as the headquarters for one of Cambodia's Buddhist Patriarchs. Wat Ounalom is the most important Wat of Phnom Penh, and the center of Cambodian Buddhism. It is north from the National Museum of Arts (two streets from the Royal Palace). Wat Ounalom was built in 1442 to keep a hair of the Buddha. Before the Khmer Rouge emptied Phnom Penh in 1975, more than 500 monks used to live at the Wat. The Khmer Rouge killed the abbot and a large number of monks and vandalized the buildings and their treasures. After the Vietnamese invasion on 1979 the Wat was restored, and today again serves as the center of Cambodian Buddhism.

When the Khmer Rouge came to power in 1975 they converted a former high school in the suburbs of Phnom Penh into a detention and torture centre known as Tuol Sleng, or S-21. A genocide museum was established at Tuol Sleng after 1979 and today it remains as it looked when abandoned by the Khmer Rouge. Hundreds of faces of those tortured line the walls inside the old school. Most of the 17,000 people detained at Tuol Sleng were eventually transported to Choeung Ek, a mass grave site located 15km outside Phnom Penh. Known to locals as the Killing Fields, Choeung Ek serves as a memorial to those killed under the Khmer Rouge rule. These sites can be extremely distressing, but are an essential part of understanding Cambodia’s tragic past.

A one-hour cruise takes in the daily life of the people living near the river. The sunset is spectacular, as the reflected rays of the dropping sun cast a golden glow across the water.

Phnom Baset is home to a small pre-Angkorian temple, called temple of the Perfect Woman, and a kitsch, cement replica of Angkor Wat. It is 32km to the north-west of Phnom Penh.

Oudong served as the country's capital under several monarchs from the 17th to the 19th centuries. Royal ruins stand upon a hillock offering panoramic views of the countryside. It is situated about 40km north of Phnom Penh.

Tonle Bati has two important 12th century temples. Ta Prohm was built by Jayavarman VII and is consecrated both to Buddha and to Brahma, and is interesting for its refined bas reliefs. It is 35km southeast of Phnom Penh.

Also known as the temple of the Black Virgin, it may once have served as a sanctuary to Kali, the dark goddess of destruction, it is situated about 55 km south of Phnom Penh.

Phnom Chisor is an 11th century temple set upon a small mountain offering a panoramic view of the Cambodian countryside. It is located 59km southeast of Phnom Penh, just off National Highway 2.