Angkor National Museum is a popular attraction you must see on your Siem Reap Tour. Visiting the Angkor National Museum, visitors will not only admire many valuable objects and materials but also feel the uniqueness of cultural values about the long-established Cambodian history expressed in a vivid way. Therefore, the museum is absolutely worth your while during your Cambodia tour.
Brief Introduction to Angkor National Museum of Cambodia
Angkor National Museum is located in Siem Reap, along with Charles de Gaulle Boulevard. Angkor National Museum is a two-floor building with 8 galleries with more than 1,000 artifacts classified by era, stages, religion, and royalties. Angkor National Museum, established in 2007, is home to the royal history of the golden age of the Khmer Kingdom. Through artwork and multimedia facilities, the museum provides visitors with a comprehensive visual experience. The Angkor National Museum preserves the architectural masterpieces of sophisticated technology, precious artwork that has been preserved for generations. The ancient Khmer costumes are displayed through the sculptures of the gods and dancers or Apsara. All this has made Angkor National Museum – an attractive sightseeing destination in the heart of Cambodia.
Angkor National Museum Attractions
First, you will be invited to sit back and relax in a mini-cinema with a capacity of only 80 seats to hear the general introduction of the museum before being directed to the gallery of precious objects. Each presentation takes place within 15 minutes and is available in many languages, such as Khmer, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Thai, French, and English. After an explanatory film screening called Story behind the legend, you’re pointed toward the galleries:
Gallery 1: 1,000 Buddha Images
This is the only gallery in the museum, it is just a simple large room, the Buddha statues are displayed here in a good-looking. There are hundreds of miniature and miniature Buddha statues made of metal, jewelry, and wood, all individually illuminated, in chronological order they are created or discovered. In the center, where displays larger Buddha images. The performance included Buddhas from Banteay Kdei, Bayon, Angkor Wat, and Preah Vihear.
Gallery 2: Pre-Angkor Period: Khmer Civilisation
This gallery and all subsequent images combine mural size and short film lengths through labyrinth-like rooms that explain the history of Angkor. The style of the statue is the pre-Angkor style and has a large collection of lingas, lintels, and colonnettes.
Gallery 3: Religion and Beliefs
This gallery serves to explain some of the most prominent stories of Hindu and Buddhist religions depicted on Angkorian temples, including the most memorable Churning of the Sea of Milk carved into the back wall at Angkor Wat. The inscriptions of Buddhist and Hindu religious figures are also concentrated here.
Gallery 4: The Great Khmer Kings
Gallery 4 focuses on King Jayavarman II, Yasovarman I, Soryavarman II, and Jayavarman VII, who are responsible for the largest construction work – Angkor. There are many figures of kings and relics from historical temples.
Gallery 5: Angkor Wat
There is a big film gallery inside this room of the Angkor National Museum. It exhibits panoramic images of the temple and explains how it was constructed. Moreover, there are data of the temple as well as post-Angkorian wooden statues used for worship at the temple.
Gallery 6: Angkor Thom
This gallery includes recovered artifacts from Angkor Thom and from the vast irrigation projects commissioned by King Jayavarman VII.
Gallery 7: Story From Stones
This gallery collects stone pallets with ancient Khmer and Sanskrit inscriptions. The writings on slates are explained in the placards below.
Gallery 8: Ancient Costume
From Apsaras and kings to princesses and warriors, this room contains busts and statues of fashion and style as they grow throughout Angkor. There is also a collection of antique jewelry and hats.
After visiting the last gallery, you will be led into the museum gift shop.
Museum Mall – a Responsible Duty-Free Store
It is the 86,000 square-foot shopping mall along the north of the Angkor National Museum. Among them is the new Galleria T-Shop of DFS, the first in Cambodia, which offers a wide range of fragrances, beauty products, strong beverages, and local craftsmanship.
While the products seem slightly different from your average airport duty-free shop, the inclusion of Cambodian handicraft products will support the conscience of ethical shoppers who want their bounty brought to benefit the local community. Buy one of the local silk, cotton, and lacquer wrap in the shops, and the management ensures that direct profits to Cambodian craftsmen who make them.
Angkor National Museum Entrance Fees – Opening Hours – Dresscode
How to Get to Angkor National Museum
Angkor National Museum can be found on Charles de Gaulle Road in northern central Siem Reap. Visitors of Siem Reap tours on the road to the Angkor Temples will go through this museum, the discerning travelers will schedule a stop at the museum before they reach the temples. It is a good option to understand the meaning of the sculpture and the reliefs they encountered at the Angkor temples. You can easily go to the Museum by tuk-tuk, or you can walk within 15 to 20 minutes from the Old Market.
Things to Remember When Visiting Angkor National Museum
Dress code: Elegant clothes (Long sleeves, Skirt over knees)
Entrance fee: $12 to enter the Angkor National Museum, plus $3 for the camera and $3 for an educational headset.
Address: 968 Charles de Gaulle Blvd, Siem Reap, Kingdom of Cambodia
Phone: +855 63 966 601
Opening hours: 8.30 am – 6.00 pm May-Sep, to 6.30 pm Oct-Apr
