Special Focus

Angkor: The Lost Empire of Cambodia Exhibition at the California Science Center

The world premiere of ‘Angkor: The Lost Empire of Cambodia’ exhibition debuted at the California Science Center in February. Through 120 original artifacts (half on tour outside Cambodia for the first time) and hands-on exhibits, visitors use the lens of science to explore the ancient empire of Angkor. Once considered the most extensive metropolis in the world, Angkor houses over 100 temples, now mysteriously quiet and surrounded by the dense Cambodian forest. The exhibition is set to tour nationally and internationally at the culmination of its debut at the California Science Center.

(Image: CMP Museums Partner)

‘Angkor: The Lost Empire of Cambodia’, developed by Museums Partner in collaboration with the California Science Center, the National Museum of Cambodia, and the Cambodian Ministry of Culture, uses science to reveal insights into the rise and fall of ancient Angkor as well as its enduring legacy. Visitors learn how the tools of archaeology, from decoding inscriptions to aerial surveying and laser scanning, have enriched our knowledge about the engineering and cultural marvels of an empire, the daily life of its people, and the environmental challenges that shaped its future. The exhibition is on display through September 5, 2022, along with a visually stunning 3D IMAX movie featuring an epic adventure where science, mystery and ancient civilization intersect. Audiences explore one of the archaeological wonders of the world as it reveals its full splendor and mystery through Angkor3D: The Lost Empire of Cambodia, a new IMAX movie.

Travel through the forests of Cambodia to an ancient megacity that rose to become the envy of the world, then was abruptly abandoned—and unlock its mystery with modern archaeologists, scientists, and explorers. The movie is shown with special IMAX laser projection technology, which produces the highest quality image in the world. Angkor 3D is visually stunning—an adventure where science, mystery and ancient civilization intersect. Audiences unravel Angkor’s ancient mysteries with archeologists and scientists who conceive ingenious methods and employ cutting-edge technology. Angkor’s thousands of elaborate temples and religious monuments rival the pyramids of Egypt in scale and ambition. The Khmer kingdom lasted from the 9th to the 15th centuries and at its height dominated a large swathe of South-East Asia from Myanmar to the west to Vietnam in the east. Angkor, the capital, sprawled across an area the size of New York’s five boroughs, making it the most extensive urban complex of the preindustrial world. By the late 16th century, the once resplendent capital of the empire was being overrun by the surrounding forest. For 150 years, many experts have attempted to provide answers, and theories abound. Thirteen hundred carved inscriptions survive on temple doorjambs, but the people of Angkor left not a single word explaining their metropolis’ collapse.

(Image: John Gollings Photography)

Angkor Wat is the largest religious monument in the world. It has been a place of worship for thousands of years; and is still in-use as one of the holiest places for Hindus and Buddhists alike. Head to the California Science Center to learn more and enjoy this new Exhibit.

Read more on www.travelerandtourist.com Spring Edition Feb-Mar 2022