AKP Phnom Penh, May 25, 2023 -- 

The restoration project of Ta Prohm Temple's east gate in Siem Reap province, conducted by the APSARA National Authority, in collaboration with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), is about 70 percent complete as of May 24.

The information was shared by Mr. PVNCM ESWAR, head of the restoration team from ASI.

He said the more than a year-long renovation, which began in early January 2022, was scheduled for completion by the end of 2023. Experts are currently working on the roof of both sides of the gate, which will be completed, and will proceed to the installation of another central roof, which is the final restoration step.

Mr. PVNCM ESWAR continued that although the restoration team has already installed new stone, they need to learn more about the construction of the east gate of the Ta Prohm Temple after restoration to see how strong it is. As they are constantly monitoring when repairing the stones, there may be some issues.

The restoration of the Ta Prohm's East Gate focused on carvings, replacing lost and damaged stones, as well as roof stone trimming and sealing the roof from seepage, he added.

According to a news release of the APSARA National Authority this afternoon, the main challenge of the east gate of Ta Prohm is the structure of the whole thing because the big trees' roots move the foundation from the original location, causing the stone wall to tear apart and may collapse.

By Phal Sophanith