Cambodia to limit visitors to stay on Angkor's dilapidated Bak Kheng temple

[XINHUA]

PHNOM PENH -- Cambodia's Apsara Authority decided to limit the maximum 300 tourists to stay on and visit the mountain top Bak Kheng temple, one of the temples in the Angkor archeological park, a World Heritage Site, in Siem Reap province, Northwest Cambodia.

"The measure is to preserve and conserve the dilapidated Bak Kheng temple and to avoid any eventual incident to tourists," the Apsara Authority, which is in charge of management, protection and conservation of Angkor Archaeological Park, said in an announcement dated on Oct. 17.

It said the Apsara Authority, in cooperation with the World Monuments Fund, has been preparing to build wooden stairs and renovate the temple.

"To facilitate the process of renovation and to keep safety for tourists, the Authority decided to contain the number of visitors to stay on the temple to maximum 300," it said.

According to the Ministry of Tourism, Bak Kheng temple has 45- meter height and 109 peaks located on the top of 65-meter height mountain of Bak Kheng where tourists usually climb up to get fresh air and take beautiful pictures of sunset or sunrise.

"The Bak Kheng temple attracts hundreds or some days over a thousand to see the sunset at the same time," Chhoeuy Chhorn, administration chief of Siem Reap provincial tourism department, said Wednesday.

The temple was built in the late 9th and early 10th centuries to dedicate to Shiva Brahmanism.