As the capital of the Chenla Empire, Ancient Ishanapura is one of the greatest and most influential ancient cities in Southeast Asia. Today, it, along with all of Cambodia's other ancient ruins, lie in the shadow of the great Angkor; however, I would argue these oldest sites of the Khmer, along with those in Burma, being the oldest in the region, are just as, if not more, important than the greatest Thai, Vietnamese, or Javanese ruins. They are the reason the heights of such sites as Angkor and Bagan could be reached, and nowhere is this more apparent than in Sambor Prei Kuk.

Though Sambor Prei Kuk has yet to find its way into the itineraries of the masses, I'm pleased to see how well it's been covered by the World Heritage Site community. While it is quite isolated in its location, it is strategically nearly equidistant from Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, making for a nice halfway point to break up the 6-hour drive. Thus, if you're in a group of 3-4 (or 5 if you're all on the petite side), you might want to consider taking a taxi between the two cities, inserting Sambor Prei Kuk while you're at it. This is just what we did in January 2023, also stopping at a market to eat tarantulas and grasshoppers, lunch on a lakeside, and the Khmer bridge at Kampong Kdei (also a must-see!).

While there are many more temples in the ancient city, tours will generally just take up the three main clusters, as mentioned by others. If you have a driver, definitely have them drop you by Prasat Yeay Poan; from there, you'll go through Prasat Tao, then end up at Prasat Sambor, by the parking lot, and just across is the famous temple with a tree growing from it, Prasat Chrey - in my opinion, this is every bit as impressive and surreal as Ta Prohm in Angkor. Do avail of the services of the local guides too; they know their way around the forest, and they always seem to be locals from the nearby villages, so you'd be helping out the local economy. Also, just as in Angkor Thom and Preah Vihear, macaques are present and may even climb onto your car. This is a forest, after all, so all kinds of wildlife could be around. Plants thrive here too, obviously, and the trees are labeled. If you get the chance, you can munch on the nuts of the Chambak tree as you explore the ruins. You might find them freshly roasted and sold by a local vendor, and they're very much worth a try.

Apparently, the three main zones contain a total of 79 temples! However, less than thirty remain standing, mostly split between Sambor (which contains the most, over ten) and Yeay Poan. Prasat Tao is home to the largest temple, its central Lion Temple, which is the only temple still standing in its cluster. Each cluster is surrounded by an outer and an inner wall, and large ceremonial baths and wells can also be found alongside the temples. Despite its age, one can note the intricacy in the brick architecture and see how the Khmer came to be such skilled carvers - they had an early start. It is starting in Sambor Prei Kuk that you can cohesively see the journey Khmer architecture took from these single-structured rectangular or octagonal temple buildings to the early temple mountains of Bakong and Eastern Mebon, the intricate prasats of Banteay Srei and Preah Vihear, and finally the later masterpieces of Angkor Wat and Bayon. The glory of the Khmer can truly be traced back to this spot, and that's why I believe it is a must-see when visiting Cambodia. If you have time for just one thing other than Angkor, let it be Sambor Prei Kuk.