Archaeologists from the APSARA National Authority have been excavating Prohm Kel Temple to study its structure before proceeding to restore the temple, said the authority in a news release this afternoon.
Mr. Pheng Dara, an archaeologist of the APSARA National Authority, said that the excavation was conducted to study the entire structure of the Prohm Kel Temple. In this excavation work, he continued, the team excavated three different pits, the first excavation pit to study the structure of the first entrance to the temple related to the pond in the northeast, the second one to study the library structure related to the outer wall of the temple, while the third pit to study the foundation of the temple tower.
The excavation of the Prohm Kel Temple found that the foundation of the first entrance, the outer wall, as well as the foundation of the library, were still in good stability, while the foundation of the tower seemed to have collapsed causing the southwest part of the tower to collapse as well, Mr. Pheng Dara added.
The excavation began in October 2021 and is scheduled to be completed in early February 2022.
The Prohm Kel Temple is a place for people to pray in one of the four hospitals around Angkor Thom during the reign of King Jayavarman VII at the end of the 12th century.
Source: Agency Kampuchea Press