Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Almost 9K tourists see equinox sunrise at Angkor Wat

Almost 9K tourists see equinox sunrise at Angkor Wat

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
The rising sun aligns with the central spire of Angkor Wat twice per year on the spring and fall equinoxes, drawing large crowds of visitors. SAY SAM AL

Almost 9K tourists see equinox sunrise at Angkor Wat

Nearly 9,000 visitors – including 2,226 international tourists – gathered at Angkor Wat on March 21 to view the spring equinox sunrise, according to a senior official of the Siem Reap provincial tourism department.

Ngov Seng Kak, director of the department, said a total of 8,726 people visited Angkor Wat to see the sunrise over the central spire of the temple, at the same time as Cambodia’s torch lighting ceremony for the 32nd Southeast Asian Games and 12th ASEAN Para Games.

“There were 6,500 domestic tourists and 2,226 foreign visitors,” he said.

Thourn Sinan, chairman of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Cambodia Chapter, was happy to see the large crowds of tourists there, describing the scence as a positive sign for the recovery of tourism in the province. He said he expects that there will be even more visitors following the event and natural phenomenon.

According to the Ministry of Tourism, the sunrise aligns with the central spire of Angkor Wat on March 20-23 each year – most precisely on March 21, when the vernal equinox occurs.

The ministry noted that the equinox occurs twice per year, in March and in September. It called on all tourism associations, relevant institutions, journalists, visitors and the general public to help publicise the event and encouraged people to take pictures and post them on social media to help promote its “Visit Cambodia 2023” campaign under the slogan of “Every Day is a Wonder”.

Im Sokrithy – an archaeologist and head of the Department of Research, Training, and Communication at the APSARA National Authority’s (ANA) – said the equinox simply means that the duration of day and night was equal due to the position of the Earth in its orbit around the sun.

Sokrithy said that the alignment of Angkor Wat with the equinox sunrise was not a coincidence and reflected the advanced knowledge of astronomy and the precise building techniques possessed by the Khmer Empire.

He noted that in the bas-relief at Angkor Wat, the 91 asuras in the south represent the 91 days from autumn equinox to the winter solstice, while the 88 northern devas represent the 88 days from spring equinox to summer solstice.

MOST VIEWED

  • Joy as Koh Ker Temple registered by UNESCO

    Cambodia's Koh Ker Temple archaeological site has been officially added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List, during the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on September 17. The ancient temple, also known as Lingapura or Chok Gargyar, is located in

  • Famed US collector family return artefacts to Cambodia

    In the latest repatriation of ancient artefacts from the US, a total of 33 pieces of Khmer cultural heritage will soon return home, according to the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts. In a September 12 press statement, it said the US Attorney’s Office for the

  • Tina rebuffs ‘false claims’ over falling paddy price

    Agriculture minister Dith Tina has shed light on the trade of paddy rice in Battambang – Cambodia’s leading rice-producing province – in a bid to curb what he dubs a “social media fact distortion campaign” to destabilise the market. While acknowledging that the prices of paddy

  • Cambodia set to celebrate Koh Ker UNESCO listing

    To celebrate the inscription of the Koh Ker archaeological site on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, the Ministry of Cults and Religion has appealed to pagodas and places of worship to celebrate the achievement by ringing bells, shaking rattles and banging gongs on September 20. Venerable

  • Kampot curfew imposed to curb ‘gang’ violence

    Kampot provincial police have announced measures to contain a recent spike in antisocial behaviour by “unruly’ youth. Officials say the province has been plagued by recent violence among so-called “gang members”, who often fight with weapons such as knives and machetes. Several social observers have

  • PM outlines plans to discuss trade, policy during US visit

    Prime Minister Hun Manet is set to meet with senior US officials and business leaders during his upcoming visit to the US for the UN General Assembly (UNGA), scheduled for September 20. While addressing nearly 20,000 workers in Kampong Speu province, Manet said he aims to affirm