Phnom Penh: Angkor Wat Crowned the Best UNESCO World Heritage Site

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Angkor Wat of Cambodia came out on top of the list of the best UNESCO world heritage sites, according to a news release from TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel site.

“Angkor Wat has previously been named the number 1 best landmark in the world list and is the number 1 thing to do in Siem Reap on the TripAdvisor site,” it underlined.

Taj Mahal in Agra, India, won the second place followed by Great Wall, China; Machu Picchu, Peru; Iguazu Falls, Argentina/Brazil; Sassi of Materia, Italy; Auschwitz, Poland; Old City of Jerusalem, Israel; Historic areas of Istanbul, Turkey; and Historic Krakow, Poland.

Angkor is one of the most important archaeological sites in South-East Asia. Stretching over some 400 square kilometres, including forested area, Angkor Archaeological Park contains the magnificent remains of the different capitals of the Khmer Empire, from the 9th to the 15th century. They include the famous Temple of Angkor Wat and, at Angkor Thom, the Bayon Temple with its countless sculptural decorations. UNESCO has set up a wide-ranging programme to safeguard this symbolic site and its surroundings, listed as a World Heritage Site in 1992.