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The Central Temple of Angkor Wat sits in a vast enclosure 800 by 1000 meters in area, surrounded by moats or canals. The tallest or central tower rises about 210 feet (65 meters) above the ground.
The buildings at Angkor Wat, made of a grey sandstone, are covered inside and out with relief sculptures of extraordinary detail and excellence of artistry, incorporating the full symbolic and mythological richness of Khmer Buddhism during the 12th-14th centuries AD. In the Khmer language, the word "wat" means temple.
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[Fig.1: Angkor Wat, Central Temple (photo: Nat.Geog.1912; Fornereau Collection).]
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