Cities and regions／Cambodia
Place of interest ·

Sambor Prei Kuk

Sambor Prei Kuk brings together three temple groups in a forest landscape: Prasat Yeai, Prasat Tao and Prasat Sambor. Its brick towers, sandstone reliefs and traces of ancient roads and waterworks reveal an organised city.

Brick tower among forest at the Sambor Prei Kuk archaeological site.
Photo by Ms Sarah Welch Source: Wikimedia Commons Licence: CC0
The place

What makes it special

  • Explore the southern, central and northern groups to compare their towers, enclosures and platforms.
  • Look for the octagonal brick towers and sandstone features that remain in situ.
  • Ancient roads and waterworks help explain the site as a city, rather than a collection of isolated temples.
Octagonal brick temple at Sambor Prei Kuk.
Photo by Pierre André Source: Wikimedia Commons Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0
Path beside brick ruins in the archaeological landscape of Sambor Prei Kuk.
Photo by PsamatheM Source: Wikimedia Commons Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0
Travel atlas

Articles in Sambor Prei Kuk

Guides to this place

1 article

Sambor Prei Kuk

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Guides to this place

1 related guides

Brick tower among forest at the Sambor Prei Kuk archaeological site.

Sambor Prei Kuk from Kampong Thom in Three Temple Groups

A day at Sambor Prei Kuk offers a way to approach ancient Ishanapura without reducing the visit to a succession of ruins: it is worth organizing the three main groups, planning the final leg from Kampong Thom carefully, and leaving time for a slower reading of the forest, brickwork and water.

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Sources and references

This profile summarises our destination guides. Their research sources and the geographical reference are listed below.

Profile updated: 02/10/2026