Angkor Wat Architecture

Throughout history, men have build more than just civilization but also establishing the foundation of culture and art at the same time. This answers how art and architecture are significant factors that drive us to the understanding of our history, especially through the study of ancient buildings, which have given us the opportunity to rebuild and reconstruct ourselves. Angkor Wat and Hagia Sophia are two examples of architectural successes that have thrived for centuries and are still two of the most important buildings today. Although both historical sites share many common building purposes and are now two of the most influential mega structures, they still have their own distinctive architectural styles that are incomparable to one another.
Second of all, Angkor Wat has distinct features that differentiate the complex from many other temples. Other than just a worshipping ground, Angkor Wat is completely surrounded by water; composing of many different systems such as canals, dikes, reservoirs, and moats; which pose as the significant features of Angkor and act as factors that keep the temple standing until today (Angkor Wat National Geographic, 2014). Another significant distinctive feature of Angkor Wat is the introduction of a new architectural technique known as corbeling that can seen as display on most part of the roof (“Ancient Mega Structure”: Angkor Wat, 2008). McGan stated that “corbeling is the practice of placing blocks and another slightly offset from to a point where is eventually spans out” (“Ancient Mega Struture”: Angkor Wat, 2008). Although there are differences in their architectural style, both historical sites are similar in terms of wall decoration. Angkor Wat is known for the bas-reliefs, which are symbolic carvings on the wall of the temple that occupied half of the 35 years that Angkor took to build (“Ancient Mega Structure”: Angkor Wat, 2008; Angkor National Geographic, 2014). These carvings show more than just Khmer art and culture, detailed stories and legends are told such the
To begin with, both historical sites have become cultural tourism sites. According to UNCSO (2014), “Angkor is one of the largest archeological sites in operation in the world”. In 1992, Angkor Wat was acknowledged as the world’s heritage drawing tourists, almost a million people per year, mostly Buddhist devotees (Angkor National Geographic, 2014). Respectively, Hagia Sophia is known to be the number one tourist attraction in Istanbul after being converted to a museum in 1935 by the Turkish government (“Byzantium: Hagia Sophia”, 2014). Aside from being cultural tourism sites, Angkor Wat and Hagia Sophia are symbolic figures representing their countries. Angkor Wat is more than just the world’s heritage, the temple is a living and intangible heritage to Khmer people, most importantly to the local population (Angkor UNESCO, 2014). According to UNESCO (2014), “The inhabitants venerate the temple deities and organize ceremonies and rituals in their honor, involving prayers, traditional music and dance”. Moreover, Angkor Wat is on Cambodia national flag (Angkor National Geographic, 2014). On the other hand, Hagia Sophia is remained as the first and model for all the mosques in Turkey (“Byzantium: Hagia Sophia”, 2014). In addition, both Angkor Wat and Hagia Sophia have been reconstructed and restored in order to preserve their splendor. Angkor Wat was added to the List of World