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Introduction to Angkor Angkor in Cambodia is the largest accumulation of temples on this planet. Dominated by Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, & the Bayon, there are hundreds of temples & ruins. An ancient metropolis The ruins may look so (see Angkor at Google Earth), but these temples were never scattered in a mythical jungle. Built from the 9th to the 13th century they are the remains of an ancient city. By recent research we know that Angkor was a conurbation of more than 1,000 square kilometres, or some 30 kilometres diameter, a 'metropolis of rice fields' with hundreds of thousands of people living there. Ancient Angkor was by far the largest pre-industrial metropolis in the World. Archaeological map. Further reading about the Greater Angkor Project. All, including the king, lived in buildings made of perishable materials, which have vanished. Only the temples have remained as they were built of brick, laterite, or sandstone. Rulers of the World Angkor was the capital of the Cambodian empire which dominated mainland South-East-Asia from the 9th to the 14th century. The powerful kings of Angkor saw themselves as ‘Rulers of the World' (chakravartin). Angkor was to be the centre of the World. The kings ruled the World on behalf of the god who protected the kingdom. Temples Every new king stressed himself and his kingdom to build a magnificent temple for the god and to worship him. The god was to take residence in this temple and make it the centre of the World. From 9th to 11th centuries the Hindu god Shiva was the national god. He was called ‘Lord of the World'. First half of the 12th century. King Suryavarman II dedicated his state temple Angkor Wat to the Hindu god Vishnu, the preserver of the World. Many Buddhist temples were built in this era too. King Jayavarman VII (reigned 1181-1215/20) stamped the kingdom Buddhist by building an enormous number of temples, Angkor Thom, hospitals, roads, and bridges. Angkor monuments - a preview: Monuments in their historical context.