Preah Kham Kompong Svay

Preah Khan of Kampong Svay is a vast Khmer complex east of Angkor, enclosed by walls, moats and rectangular reservoirs. Its sanctuaries and subsidiary buildings occupy a far larger sacred landscape than a single temple. Sandstone and laterite structures reflect several stages of Angkorian building, and the great reservoir supplied water to the surrounding settlement.

The complex stood on an ancient eastern royal road linking it to Angkor. Remains of iron production have been found nearby, and scholars believe the road carried metal from the eastern districts toward the capital. The site thus joined religious patronage with the resources and communications of the Khmer realm. Its monumental enclosures still show the scale of the community once sustained around the sanctuary.