This undated photo shows the fifth tower of Bakong temple in Siem Reap province, Cambodia. Archaeologists have begun to restore the dilapidated foundation for the fifth tower of Bakong temple in Cambodia's famed Angkor Archaeological Park, the APSARA National Authority (ANA) said in a news release on Tuesday. Built in the late ninth century by King Indravarman I, the Bakong temple, made of sandstone and laterite, was the first major mountain temple built in the Angkor Archaeological Park.(Photo: Xinhua)

 

This undated photo shows the fifth tower of Bakong temple in Siem Reap province, Cambodia. Archaeologists have begun to restore the dilapidated foundation for the fifth tower of Bakong temple in Cambodia's famed Angkor Archaeological Park, the APSARA National Authority (ANA) said in a news release on Tuesday.(Photo: Xinhua)

 
Archaeologists have begun to restore the dilapidated foundation for the fifth tower of Bakong temple in Cambodia's famed Angkor Archaeological Park, the APSARA National Authority (ANA) said in a news release on Tuesday.

Archaeologist Saray Kim Huol, head of the ANA's Rolous conservation site, said the condition of the fifth tower of Bakong temple was dilapidated, especially the tower's walls from the foundation to the top.

"Due to risks of causing dangers, the ANA has decided to restore and strengthen the fifth tower structure of Bakong temple by strengthening its brick structure and tower's walls as well as sealing the cracks in the walls to prevent water seepage," he said.

Kim Huol said the fifth tower of Bakong temple was damaged due to age, weather, and tree roots grown into its tower.

Built in the late ninth century by King Indravarman I, the Bakong temple, made of sandstone and laterite, was the first major mountain temple built in the Angkor Archaeological Park.

Situated in the northwest Siem Reap province, the 401-square-km Angkor Archaeological Park, which was inscribed on the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1992, is the kingdom's most popular tourist destination.

The ancient park is home to 91 ancient temples, which were built from the 9th to the 13th centuries.

The park attracted 472,258 international visitors in the first five months of 2024, a year-on-year increase of 37 percent, said a report from the state-owned Angkor Enterprise.

It made 22.2 million U.S. dollars in revenue from ticket sales during the January-May period this year, up 38 percent year-on-year, the report added.