Angkor conservation and the restoration of Angkor Wat

Record summary

The transfer of Angkor conservation responsibilities to the École française d’Extrême-Orient and subsequent restoration work made Angkor Wat and neighboring monuments central to modern Khmer archaeology. Activities included clearing vegetation, architectural documentation, anastylosis, and interpretation of inscriptions and temple plans. Restoration choices affected how visitors and scholars understood chronology, religious change, and the relationship between Angkorian monuments. The lead matters for examining how conservation can shape historical narratives, not merely preserve them. The surviving monuments are secure, but restoration histories must be reconstructed from institutional records.