Why did Angkor Wat fail?

The ancient city of Angkor — the most famous monument of which is the breathtaking ruined temple of Angkor Wat — might have collapsed due to valiant but ultimately failed efforts to battle drought, scientists find. read more

Angkor Wat did not fail. Angkor Wat was the principal and largest temple of the Khmer empire, and about a kilometre and a half outside the walls of the Khmer capital, Angkor Thom. read more

Gibbons wrote about the collapse of Rome. Lewis addressed what went wrong with Islam. But few have addressed why the majestic ruins of Angkor Wat were abandoned. Ancient Thai annals have led us to believe that Burmese or Siam invaders were ultimately responsible for the city’s downfall. read more

The fall of the Khmer Empire is a puzzle that archaeologists and historians have wrestled with for decades. The Khmer Empire, also known as the Angkor Civilization after its capital city, was a state-level society in mainland Southeast Asia between the 9th and 15th centuries AD. read more