Friday, 5 December 2008

Hungarian archeologists to lead excavation of Khmer royal seat

Budapest, December 4 (MTI) - Hungarian archeologists will lead a team excavating Koh Ker, an ancient royal seat in north-east Cambodia, one of the participants told MTI on Thursday.

The Angkorian site of Koh Ker, located 100 km northeast of Angkor itself, occupies on an area of 81 sq km in dense rainforest. It was briefly the capital of the Khmer empire between 928 and 944 under King Jayavarman IV and his son Hasavarman II. Under Jayavarman's reign, about 30 temples and many tower sanctuaries were built in the area.

The 1 million US dollar project will be carried out under a Cambodian-Hungarian cultural heritage and tourism agreement. The related declaration of intent was signed in Budapest earlier this week, said Csilla Siklodi.

The Hungarian team will carry out excavations and devise plans for making the area suitable for tourism.

The project has three main pillars: protecting the built heritage, preserving the forest and involving the residents of the four nearby villages in the work, she said

The project is being financed by former Hungarian diplomat Jozsef Zelnik, head of the Hungarian-Indochinese Society.

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