AKP Phnom Penh, November 21, 2025 -- Dr. István Zelnik, a Hungarian national and private collector, has returned a total of 296 Khmer cultural heritage objects to Cambodia during a ceremony held at the National Museum of Cambodia in Phnom Penh on Nov. 20.

According to the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, the returned items include 183 pieces of Khmer silk textiles, along with prehistoric artifacts such as coins, beads, jewelry, and objects made of precious metals, bronze, stone, and clay. Many of these items were looted from Cambodia during the decades of civil war.

The collection also comprises several significant objects from both the Pre-Angkor and Angkor periods, including stone and bronze pieces.

Dr. István Zelnik has been collecting art objects from across the Asian region, including Khmer art, for several decades. Dr. Zelnik in the early 2000s established the Hungarian Southeast Asian Institute. Under the Institute, significant scientific research has been carried out at Angkor and Koh Ker, with the financial support from Dr. Zelnik, including archaeological surveys, LIDAR investigations, and historical studies. These efforts have also made an important contribution to the nomination of Koh Ker for inscription on the World Heritage List.

The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts expressed its gratitude and sincere appreciation to Dr. István Zelnik, who, now in his seventies, has made the commendable decision to return an extensive collection of Khmer cultural heritage objects to Cambodia. Dr. Zelnik has previously repatriated several Khmer artefacts and has significantly contributed to Cambodia's cultural preservation efforts through his support for archaeological research projects and the publication of numerous scholarly works on cultural heritage, inscriptions, and contemporary Khmer art.

The Ministry also expressed its gratitude to all stakeholders, particularly to Mr. Bradley J. Gordon of Edenbridge Asia and his associates, for their active collaboration in researching, identifying, and negotiating the return of these lost Khmer cultural heritage properties to Cambodia.

By C. Nika