Angkor is one of the most important archaeological sites in South-East Asia. Stretching over some 400 km2, including forested area, Angkor Archaeological Park contains the magnificent remains of the different capitals of the Khmer Empire, from the 9th to the 15th century.

The standard explanation for Angkor's demise, Lieberman says, is that its ruling elite simply abandoned the city when economic activity in Southeast Asia shifted southward toward coastal ports in the 14th century.

Following the 15th century, Theravada Buddhist monks maintained Angkor Wat as a major pilgrimage site. The city is a Unesco World Heritage site measuring about 150 square miles. It is still inhabited, with some of the people who live in its villages tracing their ancestry back to its golden age.

Angkor (Khmer: អង្គរ [ʔɑŋkɔː], lit. 'capital city'), also known as Yasodharapura (Khmer: យសោធរបុរៈ; Sanskrit: यशोधरपुर), was the capital city of the Khmer Empire, located in present-day Cambodia.