The Apsara National Authority (ANA), a body tasked with managing the Angkor Archaeological Park, is tidying up more than 20 small temples built from bricks located around Bakong Temple belonging to the Roluos Group in Siem Reap province's Prasat Bakong district.
The small temples have largely eroded, leaving only portions of their foundations intact.
In a press statement on September 2, ANA said the Roluos group of monuments comprises three major temples well-known to the public including Bakong, Lolei and Preah Ko.
But, it said, the public might not have known that there are 24 small brick temples around Bakong, with some retaining much of their composure while the others eroded with only their foundations left.
“The ANA is currently tidying up these temples to beautify them again. Our working group is mowing the lawn, trimming nearby tree branches, collecting waste, making the paths easier to walk on and planting saplings,” it said.
In the meantime, ANA is also repairing a severely-damaged 25m portion of wall east of the Angkor Thom complex's Dei Chhnang gate, or north gate.
The repairs, which started in March, are now 70 per cent complete and are expected to finish in December.
“This repair work is hard because the soil is on the sandy side and much of the rock making up the foundation and lower portions has been lost or severely weathered, requiring significant restoration and rehabilitation,” the statement said.
According to ANA, since 2013 it had repaired a total of 160m of Angkor Thom walls at 10 different sections.
