his booming provincial capital in Cambodia's northwest is gateway to the fabled Angkor complex. Angkor Wat is one of the most spectacular ancient temples in the world - "outshrining" even such magnificent relics as Indonesia's Baribadour, Bagan in Burma, India's Taj Mahal, Rome's Colosseum and the Egyptian Pyramids. Siem Riep itself is little more than a supply station for those visiting these magnificent ancient temples.

In 1860, French naturalist Henri Mouhot came across in the Cambodian jungle the hundreds of overgrown, carved stone temples of the lost city of Angkor Thom (The Great City), built between the 9th and 13th centuries. (Actually Father Charles-Emile Bouillevaux was the "first tourist" to Angkor, his descriptions published in France in 1857.) The "discovery" was monumental in scope - an ancient city that stretched 15 miles east-to-west and six miles north-to-south, home to perhaps 1 million people and the capital of the ancient Khmer kingdoms.

The temples were built over a period of time in which Khmer religious belief shifted from Hinduism to Buddhism, and many of the temples, the Bayon in particular, reflect this spiritual shift in their architecture.

Angkor Thom was originally built by Udayadityavarman II (1050-1066), but expanded significantly during Jayavarman's reign between 1181 and 1201. The city was conceived as a stone likeness of the Hindu universe, and based on a wax model. The original complex took some 37 years to complete, built mainly by artisans and slaves. The giant city was protected from invaders by huge walls and a 100-meter-wide, crocodile-infested moat. There are five 20-meter-tall gates to the ancient city, featuring the giant carved faces of the Jayavarman style - the roads leading to the gates each flanked by 54 carved statues of demons and gods. The Khmer Rouge (and other pillagers) in the early 1970s beheaded many of the figures, which were sold to dealers in Bangkok and as far away as Paris and New York - helping to seriously stuff the guerrillas' war coffers.

The most compelling reason to visit Cambodia is Angkor Wat itself. This massive, seemingly supernatural structure is awash in the most spectacular and intricately carved bas reliefs in the world, and, in fact, possesses the single largest bas relief carving in the world. The reliefs depict huge battles between the Khmers and the Siamese, as well as with the Chams. Angkor Wat was constructed between 1112 and 1152 to honor the god-king Vishnu and also features magnificent towers, galleries, libraries and pools. The temple is surrounded by a huge network of canals and moats, and its irrigation system is considered to have been the most advanced on the planet at that time. In 1873, French archeologist Louis Delaporte removed many of the temple's most immaculate structures and brought them to France, but restoration of the temple began in 1898. Other later botched attempts at restoring Angkor Wat's glory (with workers using acid, cement and abrasive tools on the bas reliefs) were finally put to a halt after UNESCO began a comprehensive, precision restoration. Regardless, even those areas of the giant wat that haven't been "restored" remain to be the best preserved relics of the entire Great City, the reason being, in all probability, that the sandstone and laterite used to construct the temple was moved to the area from great distances, while the other temples were mainly built from local stone. Angkor Wat faces west, and the best time of the day to visit is near sunset. The sight is nothing short of phenomenal.

The Bayon is perhaps Angkor Thom's second most impressive structure, though it's not nearly as well preserved as Angkor Wat (restoration is proceeding in earnest today). This crumbling, eerie testament to the influences of both Hinduism and Buddhism also features incredible, delicately carved bas reliefs and 54 towers, depicting 200 large faces. The Bayon was built around 1200, nearly 100 years after Angkor Wat and sits directly in the center of the ancient city.

One of the most intriguing temples in Angkor Thom is Ta Prohm. Built in 1186, and featured in the 2001 film Tomb Raider, it has been almost entirely swallowed by the jungle. Massive hardwood trees ooze over the stone like molasses and grow right up through the walls and galleries. Bas reliefs are shrouded by moss. The eerie hum of cicadas adds to the mysterious feel. Ta Prohm is one of Angkor's most impressive and bizarre sights.

Preah Kahn, built around 1191, covers some 140 acres and is enclosed by four walls and a moat. The bas reliefs found here are also remarkable in their detail, depicting lotus petals, rosettes, garudas and giant serpents. Inside the temple is a vast maze of halls, chapels and pavilions.

Ta Keo, though never completed and lacking the bas reliefs found in many of the other structures, is still impressive enough with its five towers laid out in a cruciform pattern.

Phnom Bakheng is noted for its hilltop location, overlooking the temples of Angkor Thom to the north and the Tonle Sap Lake to the south. Again, a visit is in order at sunset, with Angkor Wat clearly visible awash in a golden light. This pyramid-like structure, with five terraces and lions flanking the uppermost slope, was the first temple constructed at Angkor Thom, built in A.D. 900.

The Terrace of the Leper King was built by Jayavarman in the early 13th century and named for Yasovarman, the founder of the Angkor site who perished from leprosy in A.D. 910. Scientists aren't certain what the terrace was used for; some say for the cremation of royalty, while others argue that these types of events would never occur in that particular location, so close to Angkor Wat.

The 13th-century Terrace of Elephants was used as a reviewing stand for kings and other royalty to watch parades, ceremonies and sporting events. There are three platforms on the terrace, reached by five flights of stairs. Lions, elephants and warriors have been carved into the terrace's walls. On the north frontage is a carving of the five-headed horse, Balacha.

The Angkor complex is only disappointing in that it has now, with peace in Cambodia, become a major tourist attraction. So expect more than a few beggars and incessant souvenir and chewing gum hawkers - and a lot of other tourists.