The Library

The Library, a photo by alison lyons photography on Flickr.

You know that classic shot that everyone takes of Angkor Wat? The one with the main temple reflected in the lake with the sun rising in the background? ... well this isn't it. This is what you would see if you turned your back to the sunrise.

I have been fortunate enough to have visited Angkor Wat twice now and I am still in awe. This building is one of the library buildings. It probably didn't house much in the way of manuscripts, but was more likely a place of rest and solitude for the monks.

It is hard to convey the scale of Angkor to anyone who hasn't been there. This building is one of two that are all but lost in the vast outer courtyard of the Angkor Wat complex.

Looking at the photo now, I wonder why I didn't climb up and look inside. I didn't last I was there either.

The lure and promise of the main temple is so seductive that this little temple is quickly left behind.

Angkor Wat itself is just one of the temples of the Angkor region that covers an area of 400 km2. The architecture dates from the 9th to the 15th centuries and is now protected by UNESCO as a world heritage site.