Angkor, also known as Yasodharapura, was the capital city of the Khmer Empire. The city and empire flourished from approximately the 9th to the 15th centuries. The city houses the magnificent Angkor Wat, one of Cambodia's most popular tourist attractions.[1] It is home to the largest religious structure in the form of a temple complex in the world by land area, the Angkor Wat and it was built at the behest of Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as the state temple for the empire. Originally constructed dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu in the early 12th century, it was converted to a Buddhist temple towards the end of the 12th century.[2] It was abandoned somewhere in the 15th century, and so the series examine the fate of the city after 600 years.
Coverage[]
Angkor is explored in The Capital Threat while it is briefly mentioned in the documentary.
Documentary[]
In the documentary, Angkor is shown as an example that man's mastery over nature is just an illusion when the city and its temple complexes were abandoned in 15th century, jungle trees indiscriminately grew over its stone structures causing the city to be entangle by the roots.
The Capital Threat[]
It sees the future of Life After People as brick and stone may be the only remaining markers of human architecture. John Sanday and John Stubbs explores and explain Angkor's history and the progress of nature. In 1860, a French explorer hiking through the jungle came upon the great temples and his journals would introduce the world to Angkor. For more than 500 years, Angkor was the capital city of the once former Khmer Empire, ruled by the powerful monarchy, and their stone monuments rivals the ancient Egyptians, since their stone works are all done by hand. John Sanday stated that Angkor are massive enormous size and weigh between 2 and a half to 3 tons. He continues that it was made with fine joints, no mortar, by just laid one on top of the other and fixed by gravity.
Angkor Wat[]
Surrounded by the jungle deep inside of Cambodia, Angkor Wat rises high. In 1431, Siamese soldiers ransacked the temple, and when the capital of the empire declines, nature took over the site and was engulfed by forest. Angkor Wat is the best preserved temple in Angkor, out of all the complexes in the area, and most people believe that a community of Buddhist monks worked to save the temple from the jungle grip, but the other temples are starting to be overrun.
Beng Mealea[]
Nearby, the temple of Beng Mealea is being ripped apart by the jungle trees. The temple was already in the death grip when the local authorities begin to peel off the jungle in 2002. On a daily basis, the temple stones is ripped by the prolific strangler fig, a type of ficus tree. John Sanday explains that the ficus tree can grow from the roof downwards, and birds usually eat the seeds of the tree, causing the seeds to be excrete on top of the roof. When the ficus tree grows old, a new ficus grows up and devours the dying tree. John Sanday shows an example of the ficus tree entwined around one of the old trees and explains once the winds have arrived, the trees swing and the destruction occurred.
Ta Prohm[]
In Ta Prohm, silk cotton trees is jacking apart the stone blocks using their oversized roots. John Stubbs explains the silk cotton trees and its roots where the lentil is separated from the window jam, and hangs on an inch of the surface and within at least 3 years, the building will be on the ground as the roots of the plant travel into the stone and the joints seeking moisture and nutrients. As the roots expand, the trees pry apart the stone until a single load-bearing dislodges and brings down the entire structure. Insects have already been in the temple before, but it need at least a few years to impose its destructive power. John Stubbs show that the insects are thermite and standing on top of a giant termite mound in a portal to the shrine. He continues that when the city became abandoned in 15th century, termites starts to eat the wooden ceilings, furnishings, and fittings throughout the place.
Exploration Conclusion[]
Wildlife in Angkor has been inhabited for centuries when men move out of Angkor, animals moved in. The deadly king cobra favors the temples closest to the encircling moats and in 2003, a hunter survived an attack by 2 Bengal tigers near Beng Mealea. There are also reports of cats living in the destroyed temple complex. The show then conclude the visit that the lessons learned in Angkor provide insight into the future of place like Washington D.C..
Gallery[]
