How Angkor Wat alternative Koh Ker, with its tiered temples and ‘magnificent’ artefacts, gives a window into the Khmer Empire without the crowds – for now

For many visitors to Siem Reap, Cambodia, Angkor Wat is the go-to Khmer temple site, but two hours’ drive from the city is Unesco World Heritage listed Koh Ker

The huge complex features tiered temples and statues said to be ‘more dynamic’ than at other Khmer sites. The best part is that word’s not out yet about Koh Ker

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Temple ruins at Koh Ker, in Cambodia. For tourists looking for a quieter alternative to Angkor Wat, this Unesco World Heritage site offers impressive tiered temples and “magnificent” artefacts. Photo: Tamara Hinson

Published: 12:45pm, 13 Mar 2024Updated: 2:27pm, 13 Mar 2024

I’m looking at a seven-tiered pyramid that has more in common with Mexico’s Chichen Itza temple than it does the structures often associated with Cambodia’s Khmer kingdoms. What’s more, I’ve got the site to myself.

There are no selfie-stick-wielding tourists and no children hawking dusty guidebooks. But I can’t help thinking the days of peace and quiet are numbered, partly because Koh Ker, the Khmer temple site I’m exploring, was given Unesco World Heritage status in 2023.

Experts believe Koh Ker, which is the name of both the entire complex, spread over about 81 square kilometres (31 square miles), and the seven-tiered structure at its heart, was built by King Jayavarman IV (ruled 928-941) as an alternative capital to Angkor following a breakdown in the line of royal succession.

Although there are similarities in architectural style between the two, several of Koh Ker’s Brahmanic temples and prasats (sanctuaries) bear more detailed inscriptions and many of its statues depict characters rarely represented elsewhere, one being a Hindu god astride a peacock.

Koh Ker, with its seven tiers, more closely resembles Mexico’s Chichen Itza temple than it does many other Khmer temples. Photo: Getty Images

Much less is known about Koh Ker than Angkor’s temples, although it’s believed King Jayavarman IV was keen to forge his own path and distinguish his breakaway capital from the one he’d abandoned.