My lockdown fantasy: I wish I was back in the bustling, mind-blowing beauty of Phnom Penh
From its sublime palaces and museums to its divine art deco markets, the city’s glorious architecture is lovingly captured in a thrilling new book. But can it survive a tidal wave of foreign investment?
Hovering like a banana-coloured flying saucer above the dusty, congested streets of scooters and cyclo taxis, the central market of Phnom Penh is a remarkable thing. Its enormous concrete dome rises in sharply serrated steps, perforated with screens of chevron tiles, above four long streamlined arms that stretch out like the wings of a benevolent mothership, sheltering the chaotic labyrinth of market stalls below. Built in the 1930s, as a futuristic fusion of French art deco and Khmer temple motifs, it featured the second largest concrete dome in the world at the time (trumped only by the Pantheon in Rome), a fitting symbol of the Cambodian capital’s status as the “Pearl of Asia”.
A futuristic fusion of French art deco and Khmer temple motifs ... interior of Phnom Penh’s central market. Photograph: Stuart Black/Alamy
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MORE ATTRACTIONS WHICH MAY INTEREST YOU!!!
Wat Phnom (Wat Phnom Daun Penh)
The Wat Phnom temple is the most significant of all the temples in Phnom Penh. It is from here that the city of Phnom Penh was born.
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Royal Palace
The Royal Palace of Cambodia is a complex of buildings although it is generally understood to be the royal abode of the King of Cambodia.
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National Museum
The National Museum of Cambodia in Phnom Penh is the country’s leading historical and archaeological museum inaugurated by King Sisowat in 1920.
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Independence Monument (Vimean Ekareach)
Located at the intersection of Norodom Boulevard and Sihanouk Boulevard in the heart of Phnom Penh city, the Independence Monument attracts many touri...
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Riverfront
The park-like Riverfront is a great place to spend a day absorbing local flavours; watch the people unwind, enjoy the activities on the river and the...
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River Cruise
Rivers are the foundation of our society. The mighty Mekong River is indeed, in more ways than one, the lifeline that runs through the heart of south-...
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Toul Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21)
Prior to 1975, Toul Sleng was a high school. When the Khmer Rouge came to power it was converted into the
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Choeung Ek Memorial (The Killing Fields)
Located about 17km south of Phnom Penh, Choeung Ek was once an orchard and a Chinese graveyard. It
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Ounalom Monastery
The origin of the Ounalom Pagoda can be traced to as far back as the 15th Century. It was built in 1422 by
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Street 240
Street 240's tree shaded avenue harbors a unique collection of quality boutiques and souvenir shops,
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Street 178
Street 178 has long been known as 'Art Street' for the local sculpture shops and art galleries that line the
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Tuol Tompoung Market
The Toul Tum Poung market, also known as the Russian market, is Must Visit of Phnom Penh.
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WIN WIN MEMORIAL
Built to commemorate the success of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s Win-Win policy that brought the return of solarity and peace to the nation, the Win-Win M...
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NIGHT CRUISE
One of the more popular tour programs in Phnom Penh is a night cruise on the Mekong river, leisurely enjoying the stars in a romantic environment.
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Norodom Sihanouk Memorial
The memorial is dedicated to the late king’s accomplishment in liberating Cambodia from France in November of 1953.
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central market
Central Market, the Phsar Thmey built in 1937, is a stylish Art Décor rotunda with wings extending in four different directions.
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