West Mebon Temple expected to stand strong for over 100 years following restoration.
Currently, the large-scale West Mebon Temple restoration project under equal cooperation between Cambodia and France has concluded after 14 years of challenging restoration work with a budget of $12 million. The 16 towers enclosed by 100-meter square walls and the causeway structure leading to the central sanctuary of the reclining Vishnu—which were previously almost entirely broken and collapsed—now stand firm once again in the middle of the vast West Baray, an essential water reservoir from the Angkorian era.
His Excellency Dr. Hang Peou, Director-General of the APSARA National Authority, expressed full confidence that based on the technical methods of this large-scale Cambodia-France restoration project, the walls and towers of the temple will remain standing strong for tourists and future generations to admire and revere for at least 50 to 150 years, or even longer with regular maintenance. His Excellency Dr. Hang Peou further emphasized that over the past 14 years, the French-Cambodian team worked tirelessly through immense challenges, including documentation studies, searching for missing stones to return them to their original locations, transporting equipment and heavy machinery as well as sandstone by boat from other sites, and managing the labor force. Furthermore, the APSARA National Authority had to manage water levels during the rainy season to ensure year-round operations without water disruption, while simultaneously guaranteeing irrigation for over 7,000 hectares of farmland and supplying raw water for clean water production in Siem Reap city.
West Mebon Temple was built in the mid-11th century AD during the reign of King Udayadityavarman II, situated on an island in the center of the West Baray (now located in Banteay ChhEU Village, Sangkat Teuk Vil, Siem Reap City). A remarkable feature of West Mebon Temple is the bronze statue of the reclining Vishnu located in the middle of the temple pond, surrounded by walls and 16 towers. West Mebon Temple was previously restored once by the French School of the Far East (EFEO) in 1940, before France partnered with Cambodia in 2012 for this large-scale restoration project that has now been fully completed. The official inauguration ceremony to reopen West Mebon Temple for public visits will take place in November 2026.
Meanwhile, His Excellency Kim Sothin, Deputy Director-General of the APSARA National Authority in charge of temple conservation and restoration, noted that the 14-year restoration employed more than 100 workers performing key tasks such as stone carving, chiseling, cutting, assembling, and transporting materials. Recently, teams have been finishing environmental aesthetics and visitor walkways. His Excellency Kim Sothin expressed immense pride in seeing the once-ruined West Mebon Temple restored to its magnificent form amidst the vast expanse of water.
