Rediscovered after centuries of being buried deep in a jungle, ransacked by antique pillagers under orders of so-called art lovers, bristling with mines dating from the dark Khmer Rouge period, the site of Angkor, despite the wounds, exerts an unspeakable magic, a subtle mixture of mystery and utmost refinement.

Centre of a vast and powerful empire founded in the 9th century –it stretched all over South East Asia, from Burma to Vietnam and from Cambodia to Malaysia- the city of Angkor boasted nearly 800,000 inhabitants at its peak in the 12th century, which made it the world's most populated urban centre. Originally imbued with Hinduism the Khmer civilisation contributed to spreading Buddhism in the region and developed a very refined artistic culture.

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Thirty years after the atrocities committed by Pol Pot and his henchmen –to whom a few million dead and deportees are attributed- the Khmer people are still living with the weight of a past often too heavy to carry.

Life slowly reasserts itself along the Tonle Sap and the Mekong. Bonzes have been re-established in the everyday life, market stalls are abundant again. The faces of people encountered perpetuate the enigmatic and appeasing smile of Angkor's statues…

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