Angkor

A photographic portrait of Angkor Wat, the largest religious site in the world.

---

Angkor in Cambodia is the largest religious site in the world. Built for King Suryavarman II in the early twelfth-century, it has remained in constant use since its foundation - first as a Hindu temple, then as a Buddhist temple. This is the masterpiece of Khmer architecture. Its galleries, enclosures, cloisters and pavilions, its extraordinary carved faces looking out across encroaching jungle and its proliferation of carvings, bas reliefs and inscriptions, have made it the quintessential icon of Cambodia - it appears on the country's flag - and a tourist destination for more than half a million foreign visitors each year. Photographer David Stanford, better known for his portraits of East Anglian country churches, has turned his lens to this vast complex and presents its story alongside his evocative photographs.