Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Phnom Penh Highlights
Discover the world's finest collection of Khmer sculpture at the stunning National Museum ( Click
here )
Delve into the dark side of Cambodian history with visits to the Tuol Sleng Museum ( Click here )
and the Killing Fields ( Click here )
Be dazzled by the 5000 silver floor tiles of the Silver Pagoda ( Click here ), part of the Royal Palace
Dive into Phnom Penh's frenzied nightlife ( Click here ) with a happy-hour cocktail, a bar crawl and
a late-night cameo in a legendary disco
Shop till you drop (of heat exhaustion) at bounteous Russian Market ( Click here )
Put your hands in the air like you just don't care during public aerobics sessions ( Click here ) at
landmark Olympic Stadium
Cruise the mighty Mekong, cocktail in hand, on a sunset boat cruise ( Click here )
History
Legend has it that the city of Phnom Penh was founded when an old woman named Penh
found four Buddha images that had come to rest on the banks of the Mekong River. She
housed them on a nearby hill, and the town that grew up here came to be known as Phnom
Penh (Hill of Penh).
In the 1430s, Angkor was abandoned and Phnom Penh chosen as the site of the new
Cambodian capital. Angkor was poorly situated for trade and subject to attacks from the
Siamese (Thai) kingdom of Ayuthaya. Phnom Penh commanded a more central position in
the Khmer territories and was perfectly located for riverine trade with Laos and China, via
the Mekong Delta.
By the mid-16th century, trade had turned Phnom Penh into a regional power. Indonesian
and Chinese traders were drawn to the city in large numbers. A century later, however, the
landlocked and increasingly isolated kingdom had become a little more than a buffer
between ascendant Thais and Vietnamese, until the French took over in 1863.
The French protectorate in Cambodia gave Phnom Penh the layout we know today. They
divided the city into districts or quartiers - the French and European traders inhabited the
area north of Wat Phnom between Monivong Blvd and Tonlé Sap River. By the time the
French departed in 1953, they had left many important landmarks, including the Royal
Palace, National Museum, Psar Thmei (Central Market) and many impressive government
ministries.
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