KHMER TIMES/PECH SOTHEARY THURSDAY, 02 FEBRUARY 2017
One of the sites for which there are UN listing hopes. Supplied
The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts is preparing documents to add Banteay Chhmar temple to a list of tentative World Heritage Sites while it awaits the results from Unesco over another temple complex.
At a meeting at Chaktomuk Conference Hall yesterday, Culture and Fine Arts Minister Phoeung Sakona said the ministry sent thousands of pages of documents relating to the Sambor Prei Kuk temple complex to the World Heritage Committee last year.
She added that the ministry was also preparing new documents for the Banteay Chhmar temple in Banteay Meanchey province in the hope of obtaining World Heritage status as well.
“There is profitability from getting World Heritage status. First make those places become famous in the world. Second, we can attract preservation funds,” she said.
“Our government also has programs to preserve things. We can attract friends who are partners abroad, utilize the budget of Unesco, and other friends will help take care of it with us because it will be a World Heritage Site at that time.”
The Sambor Prei Kuk temple complex is in Kampong Thom province and consists of more than 300 temples built from brick and sandstone. It was the capital of the Khmer Empire in the seventh century.
Many of the temples were damaged by bombs during the civil war between 1970 and 1975.
Banteay Chhmar temple in Banteay Meanchey province’s Thma Puok district was built during the reign of Jayavarman VII and is now being renovated and preserved.
Cambodia has two cultural heritage sites on Unesco’s World Heritage List. Angkor Wat was recognized in 1992 and Preah Vihear temple was recognized in 2008.
No comments:
Post a Comment