The capital of Cambodia is a city with a population of more than two million inhabitants, and is called Phnom Penh. This picturesque place is located at the confluence of three large rivers at once: Tonle Sap, Mekong and Bassak.
Phnom Penh was founded in 1372. According to an ancient legend, one day, looking at the Mekong River, a widow named Pen noticed a floating tree in the water, in the branches of which something glittered. Upon closer examination, it turned out that there were five Buddha statuettes on it: four bronze and one stone. The woman saw in this a certain sign from above and decided to erect a sanctuary, which, according to Buddhist canons, must certainly be located on a hill. Therefore, the widow made a small hill, on top of which she installed the figurines. Soon this place became sacred to all local residents, who after some time erected the temple of Wat Phnom here. Around the temple, a city gradually grew, which was named Phnom Penh, which means "the hill of the widow Penh."
The modern capital of Cambodia gained its official status in 1422. Over the long centuries of the existence of the city, he had to endure many trials. Recent serious events are related to the regimethe Khmer Rouge. During this period, Cambodia, whose capital had lost a huge number of urban residents expelled to the countryside, was in a deplorable state. After the fall of this regime, a rapid increase in the urban population naturally began. And today, hotels in Cambodia, which are mostly located in Phnom Penh, attract more and more tourists from various countries.
The capital of Cambodia is known for its amazing blend of ancient Asian traditions and colonial-era architecture. Here you can see majestic and picturesque Buddhist pagodas and medieval buildings built in a purely French style nearby.
The city consists of three districts. In its southern part, state institutions and banks are concentrated. Here, all the buildings are mostly erected in the colonial style. The northern part is residential, almost the entire population of the city lives here. In the central districts of Phnom Penh there are various shops, markets and pagodas. This part of the city is traditionally the most attractive for tourists.
The capital of Cambodia has a lot of interesting sights. Each of these ancient monuments is ready to tell the interested tourist a lot of the history of the country. The most famous sights of the city are the following: Royal Palace, National Museum, Independence Monument, Wat Phnom Temple, Silver Pagoda and many others.
In addition to visiting the monuments of culture and history, be sure to makeboat trip on the Tonle Sap River. From here you can see many of the city's landmarks.
Of course, hardly anyone will be able to return from Cambodia without a variety of souvenirs and memorabilia. The three most famous markets of the capital are at the service of tourists: Central (a huge trading area where you can buy almost everything your heart desires), Night (designed mainly for tourists and has an appropriate assortment), Russian (one of the first markets opened in the city for foreigners).
