Verified practical guide
A vast late-12th-century temple-city and Buddhist centre, best explored slowly through long galleries and tree-lined enclosures.
- APSARA hours
- 7:30 am–5:30 pm
- Suggested time
- 1½–2 hours
- Route
- Grand Circuit
Understand the site
Jayavarman VII dedicated Preah Khan in 1191 to his father, represented by Lokesvara. APSARA describes the complex as both a considerable city and a centre of Buddhist study.
The monument kept its historic name, meaning “Sacred Sword”. Its scale, successive enclosures and surviving trees reward a slower visit than the quick stop it often receives on the Grand Circuit.
What not to miss
Hall of Dancers
One of the major ceremonial spaces APSARA identifies in the complex.
Garuda enclosure
Large garudas punctuate the fourth enclosure wall.
The two-storey structure
Its round columns make it one of Angkor’s most unusual surviving structures.
Visit advice
Enter with time to meander rather than treating Preah Khan as a corridor between the Grand Circuit’s better-known stops.
Angkor is a sacred site
Cover shoulders and knees, respect worshippers and monks, climb only where permitted, do not touch carvings and take all litter away.
Read the official visitor codeFacts and hours checked against APSARA National Authority · checked 25 August 2026.
