Soon after taking the Khmer throne in 1113, Suryavarman II began building a temple dedicated to Vishnu on the outskirts of the capital Angkor, in what is now Cambodia. Angkor Wat, finished around 1150, represents Mount Meru, the home of the Hindu gods, with five towers rising 65 metres above a vast moat. Its walls carry more than 1,200 square metres of bas-reliefs showing epic scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata. It became a Buddhist temple in the following centuries and is the largest religious monument in the world. The Khmer empire fell into decline after 1431.
Before and after
- 1110Birth of Abu Abdullah Muhammad al-Idrisi al-Qurtubi al-Hasani as-Sabti
- 1110Construction of Maiden's Tower
- from 19 October 1110 to 5 December 1110Siege of Sidon
- 19 December 1111Death of Al-Ghazali
- from c. 1113 to 1150Suryavarman II builds Angkor Wat
- from 1115 to 1569Republic of Florence
- from 1115 to 1234Jin dynasty
- from 1118 to 1791Construction of Abbey of Fontenay
- from May 1118 to December 1118Conquest of Zaragoza
More in Civilizations & archaeology
- 710 CEConstruction of Al-Aqsa Mosque
- 990 CEConstruction of Château de Montsoreau
- from 11th century to 18th centuryHouse of Habsburg
- from 1206 to 1368Mongol Empire
- 1239Construction of Alhambra
- 1420Construction of Kremlin
The era
This moment belongs to the Medieval world (500 CE to 1500 CE), kingdoms, faiths and trade routes. You can also browse everything in the 12th century.