If Koh Ker gets inscribed later this year, it will be the 8th site related to the Khmer Empire and its predecessors on the World Heritage List. Considering the Maya have 9 now (and Takalik Abaj is upcoming!), it doesn’t seem overrepresented. But we are getting to the Tier 3 sites now I think, with Angkor solely occupying Tier 1 of the Khmer sites and the current WHS Sambor Prei Kuk and Preah Vihear holding Tier 2.

Koh Ker is a step down from these 3, considering both the visitor experience and the level of artistic/historic distinction. It dates from a relatively short period in the 10th century when it was the capital of the Khmer Empire. It was another stepping stone (both in time and location) between Sambor Prei Kuk and Angkor. The Khmer’s water management skills were further developed here.

The ‘best’ things the people from Koh Ker produced were colossal-sized statues. Unfortunately, none are left at the current archaeological site and there are no replicas either to show where they would have fitted. The statues can be seen in the National Museum in Phnom Penh and the Musée Guimet in Paris.  In Phnom Penh, a giant Garuda from Koh Ker is welcoming all visitors at the museum entrance. Although the finer nuances in Khmer art elude me, I found the ones from Koh Ker easy to distinguish as they are of a large size, made of sandstone, and less refined.

The archaeological site is rather spread out and a car is needed to get from temple to temple. The Pram Temple, close to the entrance, has a nice set of overgrown shrines (pictured). The landmark stepped pyramid lies in the main area, which also has a large water tank and palace buildings. The temples are mostly in ruins here and not in use for worship – locals pray at the ‘Tomb of the White elephant’ just outside the walls at the back. The circuit furthermore has several linga shrines, with oversized lingam statues still in place.

Since 2020, the site is managed by the Angkor Enterprise and they have raised the foreigner entrance fee to 15 USD. Although Koh Ker can be done on a long day tour including Preah Vihear as well, it will suffer from it as you will be hot and tired when you finally reach Koh Ker. If you have the time, it would be best to allocate a separate day tour with Beng Mealea instead of Preah Vihear – they are all enjoyed best in the early morning, and Koh Ker’s ‘pyramid’ suffers from backlighting in the afternoon.

As it lies closer to Siem Reap than Preah Vihear, Koh Ker seems to attract more visitors. There are two restaurants and several souvenir stalls at the main temple site. The surrounding area is sparsely populated, and the people mainly are cassava farmers (you will see the product left to dry by the roadside).