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Rank 074Down 4Editor’s pick
#7 in Landmarks & Wonders
of 20 ranked entries
Angkor Wat
Siem Reap, Cambodia · early 12th century
Built originally as a Hindu temple to Vishnu before gradually becoming Buddhist, Angkor Wat is the largest religious monument on Earth by land area and the centrepiece of a much larger metropolitan complex that may once have supported close to a million people, one of the largest pre-industrial urban settlements ever documented. Recorded specifics: country Cambodia, built 1113, visitors/yr 2.6 M. Panel highlighted largest religious monument in the world by land area, with bas-relief carvings running for hundreds of metres, surrounding Angkor complex reveals one of the largest pre-industrial urban settlements ever identified and continuously used as a place of worship for close to 900 years, unusually long for a single site. The reservation on record is rapid tourism growth and groundwater extraction for nearby hotels have measurably destabilised the temple’s sandstone foundations.
UNESCO World Heritage SiteReligious & spiritual siteAncient world
Score breakdown
How Angkor Wat earned 87.9
Each criterion is scored independently, then combined using the weights published on Landmarks & Wonders.
- Historical & cultural significanceweight 30%
- 90.1
- Architectural achievementweight 25%
- 85.1
- Preservation stateweight 20%
- 87.2
- Visitor experienceweight 25%
- 88.6
On the record
Recorded detail
| Country | Cambodia |
|---|---|
| Built | 1113 |
| Visitors/yr | 2.6 |
| Rating | 9.1 |
Panel verdict
Strengths and reservations
What it gets right
- Largest religious monument in the world by land area, with bas-relief carvings running for hundreds of metres
- Surrounding Angkor complex reveals one of the largest pre-industrial urban settlements ever identified
- Continuously used as a place of worship for close to 900 years, unusually long for a single site
Where it gives ground
- Rapid tourism growth and groundwater extraction for nearby hotels have measurably destabilised the temple’s sandstone foundations
1 appearance
Where this entry ranks
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