AKP Phnom Penh, July 07, 2025 --

Prime Minister Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet has called on his compatriots to take part in preserving the national cultural heritage for the benefit of all generations of Cambodians. 

“Safeguarding our cultural heritage is a shared duty of all Cambodians,” underlined the Premier in a social media post this morning, extending his congratulations to his compatriots on the occasion of the 17th anniversary of the inscription of Preah Vihear Temple on the UNESCO World Heritage List. 

Stretching widely like a ship on the ocean, the Temple of Preah Vihear stands proudly atop a mountain peak, offering a majestic landscape. The Khmer sacred temple, located on the Dangrek mountain range in Preah Vihear northern province, was inscribed on the World Heritage List at the 32nd session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee on July 7, 2008 in Quebec, Canada.

According to UNESCO, Preah Vihear is a temple dedicated to Shiva. The Temple is composed of a series of sanctuaries linked by a system of pavements and staircases over an 800-metre-long axis and dates back to the first half of the 11th century AD. Nevertheless, its complex history can be traced to the 9th century, when the hermitage was founded. This site is particularly well preserved, mainly due to its remote location. The site is exceptional for the quality of its architecture, which is adapted to the natural environment and the religious function of the temple, as well as for the exceptional quality of its carved stone ornamentation. Preah Vihear is an outstanding masterpiece of Khmer architecture. It is very ‘pure’ both in plan and in the detail of its decoration.

Other Cambodian heritages registered so far on the World Heritage List include the Historic Site of Angkor inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1992; Preah Reach Troap Dance (Royal Ballet) and Lakhon Sbek Thom (big shadow puppet) proclaimed masterpieces of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, respectively in 2003 and 2005; Teanh Prot (tug-of-war), a popular recreational game, named an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2015; Chapei Dang Veng, a Cambodian two-stringed, long-necked guitar, inscribed on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding in 2016; Sambor Prei Kuk temple complex registered as a World Heritage Site in 2017; Lkhon Khol Wat Svay Andet recognised as an Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding in 2018; Kun Lbokator, a Cambodia’s traditional martial art, registered on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2022; and Koh Ker archeological site listed as a World Heritage Site in 2023. 

By C. Nika