Phnom Penh (Capital of Cambodia)

Phnom Penh is the Capital of Cambodia was established in 1434 by King Ponhea yat. Phnom Penh is conveniently located on the bank where four rivers converge, Upper Mekong, Lower Mekong, Tonle Sap and Bassak; a location known in Cambodia as Chatomuk or four faces. Covering an are of 290 square kilometers, Phnom Penh is the major Capital, economic, cultural, communication and tourism center for both domestic and international services, Modern development and planning have taken place since independence in 1953, with the addition of tree-lined avenues, gardens with fountains and several distinctive monuments reflecting the city's new found sense of freedom.

Independence Monument

It was build in 1958 to commemorate independence from France 1956.

National Museum

Built in 1917 in traditional Khmer architecture and inaugurated in 1920 by King Sisowat. It houses more than 5000 pre-Angkorian and Angkorian artefacts and it is the world best collections of Khmer archaeological, religious and artistic artefacts from the 4th to the 13th century.

Royal Palace

It was mainly built by the French in 1866 on the site of the old town. The entrance is on Samdech Sothearos Blvd via the Pavilion of Dancers. Opposite the entrance are the walls of the royal residence and the stable of the with elephant. The pagoda-style compound was built by the French, and since November 1991, has been home, once again, to Prince Norodom Sihanouk.The main building on the compound is the Throne Room which was built in 1917. It has a tiered roof and a 59 m tower, influenced by Angkor¡¯s Bayon Temple. It was used for coronations and others official occasions such as the reception of foreign ambassadors when they presented their official credentials.

Silver Pagoda

Formerly a wooden building, was build by King Sihanouk in 1962. The pagoda's steps are Italian marble, and inside, It¡¯s floor is comprised of more than 5,000 silver blocks which together weights nearly 6 tones. In the center of the pagoda is a magnificent 17th Buddha statue made of Baccarat crystal. In front is a 90 kg golden Buddha studded with 9,584 diamonds, dating from 1906.It was made from the jewelry or King Norodom.

TOUL SLENG GENOCIDAL MUSEUM

When the Khmer Rouge came to power in 1975 they converted a non-descript high school on the fringe of downtown Phnom Penh into a detention and torture center known as Tuol Sleng, or S-21 (Security Prison 21). A genocide museum was established at Tuol Sleng after the 1979 Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia and today it appears precisely as it was left by the fleeing Khmer Rouge. The non-descript facade belies the horrors and trocities committed inside. Hundreds of photos of those tortured line the walls inside the old school. Most of the 17,000 people detained at Tuol Sleng were subsequently transported to Choeung Ek, a longan orchard 15 km outside Phnom Penh, slaughtered and buried in mass graves. Known to locals as the Killing Fields after the popular movie of the same name, Choeung Ek also serves as a memorial to those killed under Khmer Rouge rule.

Wat Phnom Daon Penh

Located on a man-made hill, 27 meters high, from which the city takes his name. The pagoda was built for the first time by lady Penh in 1372 to house four Buddha statues said to have been deposited by the waters of the Mekong River. The present temple was build in 1926.