AKP Phnom Penh, September 18, 2026 --

The “Run for Heritage” sports event, held to mark the third anniversary of the inscription of the Koh Ker Temple Site on the UNESCO World Heritage List, attracted around 1,200 tourists who participated in a 7-kilometre run.

The event was organised on Sept. 17 by the National Authority for Preah Vihear in collaboration with the Preah Vihear Provincial Administration and relevant institutions, with the aim of promoting the value of Koh Ker’s cultural heritage and attracting visitors to explore its temples, ancient hydraulic structures, natural landscapes and biodiversity.

The event also sought to raise awareness among young people of their shared responsibility to protect and conserve Cambodia’s cultural heritage.

The inscription of Koh Ker, the former capital built by King Jayavarman IV, on the UNESCO World Heritage List reflects the site’s outstanding universal value and contributes to promoting Cambodia’s cultural heritage internationally, the National Authority for Preah Vihear said.

Over the past three years, the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, the National Authority for Preah Vihear and relevant institutions have undertaken conservation and restoration work at several temples, including Prasat Balang Cheung, Prasat Pram, Prasat Krahom, Prasat Kouk Kroung and Prasat Krachap.

The efforts have also included restoration of a dancing Shiva statue and extensive archaeological, ethnological, architectural and ecological research to deepen understanding of the historical period associated with Koh Ker.

The National Authority expressed gratitude to national and international partners, including UNESCO, the ALIPH Foundation, EFEO, the Institute of Technology of Cambodia, the Royal University of Fine Arts and universities from Japan, Canada, the United States and Germany, for supporting conservation, restoration and research activities.

The authority and the Preah Vihear Provincial Administration also thanked the tourists who participated in the “Run for Heritage,” saying their strong participation helped commemorate the anniversary and reaffirmed collective efforts to preserve, protect and promote the site for present and future generations.

Koh Ker was officially inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site at the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Sept. 17, 2023.

Known as Chok Gargyar in Old Khmer inscriptions, Koh Ker is a 10th-century temple complex and former capital of the Khmer Empire in Preah Vihear province. The forested site contains 169 archaeological remains, including 76 temples, as well as civil structures, ponds, dykes and ancient roads, and is situated between Cambodia’s other World Heritage sites of Preah Vihear, Angkor and Sambor Prei Kuk.

By C. Nika