Angkor Thom

The last great capital of the Khmer Empire, Angkor Thom is a nine-square-kilometre walled and moated city built under Jayavarman VII in the late twelfth century. Its five gateways are each crowned with massive stone faces, and the Bayon temple at the city's centre is distinguished by its 54 towers carved with more than 200 serene giant faces — widely interpreted as the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara bearing the king's likeness. The complex also contains the Baphuon temple, the Terrace of the Elephants, and the Terrace of the Leper King, all dating to the eleventh and twelfth centuries.