Preservation Work at Phnom Bakheng
U.S. Embassy Sponsors Book Launch for Phnom Bakheng Workshop
Center for Khmer Studies, Siem Reap
June 05, 2006
U.S. Embassy Phnom Penh, in cooperation with the Center for Khmer Studies and the World Monuments Fund, recently hosted the launching of the book "Phnom Bakheng Workshop on Public Interpretation." This event, which took place at the main campus of the Center for Khmer Studies located at Wat Damnak in Siem Reap, attracted an audience of more than 100 people working to protect Cambodia's cultural patrimony, including representatives of the APSARA Authority, the Ministry of Culture, the ICC, UNESCO and the diplomatic community.
The new book is a groundbreaking collection of history, new research, and site planning for Phnom Bakheng in historic Angkor Park and was published by the Center for Khmer Studies for the World Monuments Fund. The book is the first in their new series of conference proceedings and features papers presented at the Phnom Bakheng Workshop on Public Interpretation, held at the Center for Khmer Studies, Siem Reap, Cambodia, December 4-6, 2005. The conference was supported in part by an award from the U.S. Department of State for the Phnom Bakheng Conservation and Presentation Project.
Phnom Bakheng, the tenth-century temple-mount, has been designated by the International Coordinating Committee for the Safeguarding and Development of the Historic Site of Angkor (ICC) as an urgent priority - the "most threatened temple in Angkor.’’ As Angkor continues to draw a new influx of tourists each year, an integrated plan for the visitor experience at Phnom Bakheng is necessary to ensure a "managed visit" where visitors are accommodated and educated about the history of Phnom Bakheng and about the ongoing conservation methods developed to protect and maintain the site.
The conference, organized by the World Monuments Fund under the auspices of the APSARA Authority for the Protection and Management of Angkor and the Region of Siem Reap, was held at the Center for Khmer Studies' campus at Wat Damnak, also in Siem Reap. It brought together leading international experts from a range of disciplines in order to gather the most current research on this key monument over time. During the two-and-a-half days, participants developed an unprecedented model for planning for this site, by focusing on not only conservation requirements but also on the demands of tourism and the needs of local populations. Among the participants were Khmer experts whose ongoing contributions to site preservation engage the local population in the safeguarding of their patrimony.
The publication of the proceedings includes contributions from specialists on the site’s history, ecology, art and architecture, tourism, and heritage planning. Jane Clark Chermayeff & Associates, worldwide leaders in interpretation and consultants to the World Monuments Fund, served as the principal organizer of this conference and as the editor of this seminal publication.
From the book's back cover: "The United States is proud to be a partner in the groundbreaking work that the World Monuments Fund is undertaking in cooperation with the APSARA Authority in public interpretation at Phnom Bakheng. For the first time at Angkor Park, a site's significance will be presented in a comprehensive and cohesive manner, creating a more enjoyable and enriching experience for the visitor. This approach can only bolster Angkor's reputation as a site of world cultural renown. In working to preserve--and interpret--Cambodia's past, we are also working to ensure Cambodia's future."
- Ambassador Joseph Mussomeli, U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia.