A Crowd Of Tourists Witness Equinox Sunrise At Angkor Wat Temple

A crowd of national and international tourists witnessed in the morning of Mar. 21 the Equinox Angkor, a natural phenomenon when the sun rises over the central tower of the Angkor Wat Temple in Siem Reap province.

Although the sun has not yet risen on the peak of the middle tower of Angkor Wat and the weather is not favorable, this spectacular view has attracted lots of tourists to capture this rare image of this special event, said the APSARA National Authority in a news release.

Mr. Im Sokrithy, Archaeologist and Director of the Department of Conservation of Monuments and Preventive Archaeology of the APSARA National Authority, explained that the equinox is the time between day and night to be equal, unlike some normal months, the night is longer than the day or the day is longer than the night that always happens in the world.

Mr. Im Sokrithy said that the preparation of the Khmer ancestors according to natural phenomena for the event of the sunrise at the top of Angkor Wat is to consider from the architecture, land preparation, mathematical calculations, astronomical considerations as well as combined with faith. It can be said that the special event at sunrise in the middle of the top of Angkor Wat, maybe this miracle happened only on Angkor Wat in Cambodia, while many ancient temples in other countries in the world are not so organised. Although this special event occurs twice a year, the phenomenon is not the same. In 2019, the sunrise at the top of Angkor Wat occurred on Mar. 20, early in the morning (as can be seen from the west main gate), from 5:50 a.m. to about 7 a.m.

According to Mornings.co.uk, a famous website of the United Kingdom, the Angkor Wat Temple of Cambodia was crowned No. 1 as the world’s best place to see the sunrise.

“Angkor Wat is one of the seven wonders of the ancient world and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Steeped in history and rich in culture, it is a must-visit attraction. Although views from this spot are inspiring at any time of the day, a sunrise here is not to be missed,” the website commented.

The Equinox Angkor occurs twice a year, and this year it falls on Mar. 21 and Sept. 22.by AKP