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'<!-- Infobox begins --> {{Infobox settlement |official_name =Siem Reap |other_name = |native_name = {{lang-km|ក្រុងសៀមរាប}} <!-- for cities whose native name is not in English --> |nickname = Great Gate to Angkor |settlement_type = <!--For Town or Village (Leave blank for the default City) --> |motto = |image_skyline = Siem reap montage.jpg |imagesize = 280px |image_caption = Siem Reap |image_flag = |flag_size = |image_seal = |seal_size = |image_shield = |shield_size = |city_logo = |citylogo_size = |image_map = |mapsize = |map_caption = Location of Siem Reap, Cambodia |image_map1 = |mapsize1 = |map_caption1 = |image_dot_map = |dot_mapsize = |dot_map_caption = |dot_x = |dot_y = |pushpin_map = Cambodia<!-- the name of a location map as per http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Location_map --> |pushpin_label_position = <!-- the position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none --> |pushpin_map_caption = |pushpin_mapsize = |subdivision_type = Country |subdivision_name = {{flag|Cambodia}} |subdivision_type1 = [[Province]] |subdivision_name1 = Siem Reap |subdivision_type2 = |subdivision_name2 = |subdivision_type3 = |subdivision_name3 = |subdivision_type4 = |subdivision_name4 = |government_footnotes = |government_type =City |leader_title = |leader_name = |leader_title1 = |leader_name1 = |leader_title2 = |leader_name2 = |leader_title3 = |leader_name3 = |leader_title4 = |leader_name4 = |established_title =Settled |established_date =802 |established_title2 =Official |established_date2 =1907 |established_title3 = <!-- Incorporated (city) --> |established_date3 = |area_magnitude = |unit_pref = <!--Enter: Imperial, if Imperial (metric) is desired--> |area_footnotes = |area_total_km2 = <!-- ALL fields dealing with a measurements are subject to automatic unit conversion--> |area_land_km2 = <!--See table @ Template:Infobox settlement for details on automatic unit conversion--> |area_water_km2 = |area_total_sq_mi = |area_land_sq_mi = |area_water_sq_mi = |area_water_percent = |area_urban_km2 = |area_urban_sq_mi = |area_metro_km2 = |area_metro_sq_mi = |population_as_of = 2006 |population_footnotes = |population_note = |population_total = 139,458 |population_density_km2 = |population_density_sq_mi = |population_metro = |population_density_metro_km2 = |population_density_metro_sq_mi = |population_urban = |population_density_urban_km2 = |population_density_urban_sq_mi = |population_blank1_title = |population_blank1 = |population_density_blank1_km2 = |population_density_blank1_sq_mi = |timezone =UTC/GMT +7 hours |utc_offset = |timezone_DST = |utc_offset_DST = |latd=13 |latm=21 |lats=44 |latNS=N |longd=103 |longm=51 |longs=35 |longEW=E |elevation_footnotes = <!--for references: use <ref> </ref> tags--> |elevation_m = |elevation_ft = |postal_code_type = <!-- enter ZIP code, Postcode, Post code, Postal code... --> |postal_code = |area_code = |blank_name = |blank_info = |blank1_name = |blank1_info = |website = |footnotes = }} <!-- Infobox ends --> '''Siem Reap City''' is the capital of [[Siem Reap Province]], [[Cambodia]]. Siem Reap has colonial and Chinese-style architecture in the Old French Quarter, and around the Old Market. In town, there are [[Apsaras|Apsara]] dance performances, craft shops, silk farms, rice-paddy countryside, fishing villages and a bird sanctuary near the [[Tonle Sap Lake]]. It is perhaps best known for its proximity to [[Angkor Wat]]. Siem Reap today, being a popular tourist destination, has a large number of hotels and restaurants. Most smaller establishments are concentrated around the Old Market area, while more expensive hotels are located between [[Angkor International Airport|Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport]] and the town along National Road 6. There are a variety of mid-range hotels and restaurants along Sivatha, and budget to mid-range hotels in the Phsar Leu area. ==History== The name Siem Reap means the ''''Defeat of [[Siam]]'''' —today’s [[Thailand]] —and refers to a centuries-old bloodbath, commemorated in stone in the celebrated bas relief carvings of the monuments. In 1901 the [[École Française d'Extrême Orient]] (EFEO) began a long association with [[Angkor]] by funding an expedition to the [[Bayon]]. In 1907 Angkor, which had been under Thai control, was returned to Cambodia and the EFEO took responsibility for clearing and restoring the whole site. In the same year, the first tourists arrived in Angkor - an unprecedented 200 of them in three months. Angkor had been 'rescued' from the jungle and was assuming its place in the modern world. Siem Reap was little more than a village when the first French explorers re-discovered Angkor in the 19th century. With the return of Angkor to Cambodian, or French, control in 1907, Siem Reap began to grow, absorbing the first wave of tourists. The [[Grand Hotel d'Angkor]] opened its doors in 1929 and the temples of Angkor remained one of Asia's leading draws until the late 1960s, luring visitors like Charlie Chaplin and Jackie Kennedy. In 1975, the population of Siem Reap, along with that of the rest of the cities and towns in Cambodia, was evacuated by the communist [[Khmer Rouge]] and driven into the countryside. [[Image:Thais return Battambang to King Sisowath.jpg|thumb|Siem Reap, Battambang & Preah Vihear received by King Sisowath, 1907.]] [[Image:Siem reap street scene.jpg|left|thumb|240px|Traffic in downtown Siem Reap]] As with the rest of the country, Siem Reap's history (and the memories of its people) is coloured by spectre of the brutal Khmer Rouge Regime, though since [[Pol Pot]]'s death in 1998, relative stability and a rejuvenated tourist industry have been important steps in an important, if tentative, journey forward to recovery. With the advent of war, Siem Reap entered a long slumber from which it only began to awake in the mid-1990s. Today, Siem Reap is undoubtedly Cambodia's fastest growing city and serves as a small charming gateway town to the world famous heritage of the Angkor temples. Thanks to those attractions, Siem Reap has transformed itself into a major tourist hub. Siem Reap nowadays is a vibrant town with modern hotels and architectures. Despite international influences, Siem Reap and its people have conserved much of the town's image, culture and traditions.{{clear}} ==The Wat and the river== [[Image:Siem Reap wood carving.JPG|thumb|right|150px|Siem Reap wood carving]] The town is a cluster of small villages along the [[Siem Reap River]]. These villages were originally developed around [[Buddhist]] [[pagoda]]s ([[Wat]]) which are almost evenly spaced along the river from Wat Preah En Kau Sei in the north to Wat Phnom Krom in the south, where the Siem Reap River meets the great [[Tonle Sap]] Lake. The main town is concentrated around Sivutha Street and the Psar Chas area (Old Market area) where there are old colonial buildings, shopping and commercial districts. The Wat Bo area is now full of guesthouses and restaurants while the Psar Leu area is often crowded with jewellery and handicraft shops, selling from ruby to woodcarving. Other fast developing areas are the airport road and main road to Angkor where a number of large [[hotel]]s and [[resort]]s can be found. ==Economy== [[Image:Angkor wat temple photo.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Angkor Wat temple in Siem Reap]]Businesses centered around tourism have flourished thanks to the tourism boom. There are a wide range of hotels, ranging from several 5-star hotels and chic resorts to hundreds of budget guesthouses. A large selection of restaurants offer many kinds of food, including Italian, Indian, French, German, Russian, Thai, Korean, Japanese, and Burmese. Plenty of shopping opportunities exist around the Psar Chas area while the nightlife is often vibrant with a number of western-styled pubs and bars. [[Angkor International Airport|Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport]] in Siem Reap now serves the most tourist passengers to Cambodia. Most tourists come to Siem Reap to visit the [[Angkor Wat]], [[Angkor Thom]], (about 6Km north of the city), and other Angkor ruins. While those are still the main attractions, there are plenty of other things to experience, such as a dinner with an Apsara Dance performance, a trip to fishing villages and bird sanctuary, a visit to a craft workshop and silk farm, or a bicycle tour around the rice paddies in the countryside. The Gecko Environment Center is a floating environment center located in the province of Siem Reap on the Tonle Sap Lake. The goal of the center is to promote environmental awareness among the local community as well as visitors to the great lake.<ref>http://www.tsbr-ed.org</ref> The province of Siem Reap is part of the [[Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve]]. ==Attractions== [[Image:Siem reap night time.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Tourists and locals wandering the streets of Siem Reap's nightlife.]] [[Image:Siem reap night market.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Siem Reap's night market.]] ===Angkor Wat=== {{main|Angkor Wat}} Angkor Wat ([[Angkor]] temple) is the central feature of the Angkor [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]] containing the magnificent remains of the [[Khmer Empire|Khmer]] civilization. Angkor Wat's rising series of five towers culminates in an impressive central tower that symbolizes mythical [[Mount Meru]]. Thousands of feet of wall space are covered with intricate carving depicting scenes from [[Hindu mythology]]. ===Cambodia Landmine Museum=== {{main|Aki Ra}} The Land Mine Museum is run by Aki Ra, an ex army Land Mine casualty. He started off by turning the garden of his home into a museum of mines and other ordnance. The museum is now located in a purpose built location approximately 12 miles from Siem Reap in the direction of Bantay Srei. ===Angkor National Museum=== The grand opening of the new National Museum was held on 12th of November, 2007. In a beautiful building, you will discover the Golden Era of the Khmer Kingdom, through state of the art multimedia technology, to provide visitors a full easy to understand story of the legend. There are 8 galleries in the Museum:<br /> - Exclusive gallery: 1,000 Buddha images<br /> - Gallery A: Pre-Angkor Period: Khmer Civilization<br /> - Gallery B: Religion and Beliefs<br /> - Gallery C: The great Khmer Kings<br /> - Gallery D: Angkor Wat<br /> - Gallery E: Angkor Thom<br /> - Gallery F: Story from Stones<br /> - Gallery G: Ancient Costume<br /> <gallery> Image:Example.jpg|Caption1 Image:Example.jpg|Caption2 </gallery> Through visiting Angkor National Museum, you will be receiving a pre-review of practical and informative information in term of Khmer’s civilization, history and cultural heritage. Therefore, you should better visit Angkor National Museum before going to see the Archaeological site in Siem Reap. References: [http://angkornationalmuseum.com/] [http://www.peaceofangkor.com/Angkormuseum.htm] ===Angkor Thom=== {{main|Angkor Thom}} This magnificent inner royal city was built by the end of the 12th century and is renowned for its temple grounds and towering southern gate. ===Psar Chaa=== {{main|Psar Chaa}} This flea market offers Khmer antiques as well as tourist souvenirs. ===Central Market=== Another market where one can find food, clothes and jewellery. ==Phsar Leu Thom Thmei== This market reconstructed from the wood to the stone structure. The word ''Phsar'' means ''Market'', ''Leu'' means ''Upper'', ''Thom'' mean ''Large'' and ''Thmei'' means ''New''. Now this market is very popular and crowded. People sell all kind of things. It locate about 2&nbsp;km from Siem Reap Town and on the right side of National Road#6 if you travel from west to east. ==Climate== <!--Infobox begins-->{{Infobox Weather |metric_first=Yes <!--Entering Yes will display metric first. Leave blank for imperial--> |single_line=Yes <!--Entering Yes will display metric and imperial units on same line.--> |location = Siem Reap |Jan_Hi_°C =32.0 |Jan_REC_Hi_°F = <!--REC temps are optional; use sparely--> |Feb_Hi_°C =33.3 |Feb_REC_Hi_°F = |Mar_Hi_°C =34.6 |Mar_REC_Hi_°F = |Apr_Hi_°C =35.5 |Apr_REC_Hi_°F = |May_Hi_°C =35.2 |May_REC_Hi_°F = |Jun_Hi_°C =33.5 |Jun_REC_Hi_°F = |Jul_Hi_°C =32.7 |Jul_REC_Hi_°F = |Aug_Hi_°C =32.0 |Aug_REC_Hi_°F = |Sep_Hi_°C =32.2 |Sep_REC_Hi_°F = |Oct_Hi_°C =31.3 |Oct_REC_Hi_°F = |Nov_Hi_°C =30.6 |Nov_REC_Hi_°F = |Dec_Hi_°C =31.0 |Dec_REC_Hi_°F = |Jan_Lo_°C =19.7 |Jan_REC_Lo_°F = |Feb_Lo_°C =20.8 |Feb_REC_Lo_°F = |Mar_Lo_°C =26.1 |Mar_REC_Lo_°F = |Apr_Lo_°C =25.1 |Apr_REC_Lo_°F = |May_Lo_°C =25.4 |May_REC_Lo_°F = |Jun_Lo_°C =24.8 |Jun_REC_Lo_°F = |Jul_Lo_°C =24.8 |Jul_REC_Lo_°F = |Aug_Lo_°C =25.0 |Aug_REC_Lo_°F = |Sep_Lo_°C =24.5 |Sep_REC_Lo_°F = |Oct_Lo_°C =23.9 |Oct_REC_Lo_°F = |Nov_Lo_°C =22.4 |Nov_REC_Lo_°F = |Dec_Lo_°C =20.3 |Dec_REC_Lo_°F = |Jan_Precip_mm =0.7 |Feb_Precip_mm =3.5 |Mar_Precip_mm =28.0 |Apr_Precip_mm =61.2 |May_Precip_mm =175.9 |Jun_Precip_mm =221.3 |Jul_Precip_mm =236.6 |Aug_Precip_mm =151.0 |Sep_Precip_mm =276.1 |Oct_Precip_mm =248.0 |Nov_Precip_mm =81.7 |Dec_Precip_mm =10.1 |source =worldweather.org <ref name=weather1>{{cite web | url =http://www.worldweather.org/145/c00347f.htm#climate | title =Weather for Siem Reap | accessdate =28 Feb 2008 | dateformat = mdy | publisher =worldweather.org | language =English }}</ref> |accessdate =2008-02-28 }}<!--Infobox ends--> ==Accessibility== [[Image:FlotinSiemReap.jpg|thumb|A boat in Flotin, a nearby village]] The town is 7&nbsp;km from the [[Angkor International Airport|Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport]] (IATA code REP). Siem Reap is accessible by direct flights from [[Phnom Penh]], [[Sihanoukville]], [[Singapore]], [[Bangkok]], [[Kuala Lumpur]], [[Vientiane]], [[Luang Prabang]], [[Hanoi]], [[Ho Chi Minh City]], [[Da Nang]], [[Hong Kong]], [[Seoul|Seoul-Incheon]], [[Pusan]], [[Kunming]], [[Kaohsiung]] and [[Taipei]], and by land from Phnom Penh and the Thai border. It’s also accessible by boat and bus from Phnom Penh. ==See also== *[[Angkor International Airport|Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport]] ==References== {{reflist}} * ==External links== {{commons-inline}} *[http://www.siemreap-town.gov.kh Siem Reap - The Gate to Angkor (Official Website of the Provincial Town Siem Reap on www.siemreap-town.gov.kh)] *{{wikitravel|Siem Reap}} * [http://www.ritrattoue.com/cambodia/index.htm Angkor Wat - Siem Reap Photos] * [http://www.opencambodia.com Cambodia Gallery]- Photo Gallery of Siem Reap Angkor {{coord|13|21|44|N|103|51|35|E|region:KH_type:city(147866)|display=title}} {{SiemReapProvince}} [[Category:Siem Reap| ]] [[Category:Siem Reap Province]] [[Category:Provincial capitals in Cambodia]] [[cs:Siem Reap]] [[cy:Siem Reap]] [[da:Siem Reap]] [[de:Siem Reap]] [[et:Siĕm Réab]] [[es:Ciudad de Siem Riep]] [[fr:Siem Reap]] [[ko:시엠리아프]] [[hi:सीम रीप]] [[it:Siem Reap]] [[lt:Siemreabas]] [[nl:Siem Reap (stad)]] [[ja:シェムリアップ]] [[no:Siem Reap]] [[km:ក្រុងសៀមរាប]] [[pl:Siem Reap]] [[pt:Siem Reap]] [[ro:Siem Reap]] [[sr:Сием Реап]] [[sv:Siem Reap]] [[th:เสียมเรียบ]] [[vi:Xiêm Riệp]] [[war:Siem Reap]] [[zh:暹粒市]]'