The celebrated temples of Angkor are Cambodia's greatest tourist attraction. The 100 or so temples are the sacred remains of what was once a much larger administrative and religious centre, and were built between the 9th and 13th centuries to glorify a succession of Khmer kings. The three most magnificent temples are Bayon, Ta Prohm and the immense Angkor Wat.

From the 13th century, the Khmer empire went into decline. The state religion reverting to Hinduism led to the vandalization, or alteration of many Buddhist sculptures. Angkor was sacked by the Thais in 1351, and again in 1431. In the 15th century, the Khmer court moved to Phnom Penh and only located back to SiemReap fleetingly in the 16th century. Most of Angkor was abandoned in the 15th century to pilgrims and holy men. The temples were gradually cloaked by forest.