Angkor Region Settlements

Timeline

1. c. 802–899Hariharalaya (Roluos) · Siem Reap ProvinceJayavarman II established the god-king system around Hariharalaya; the Roluos temple group marks the initial formation of a religious-administrative settlement in the Angkor region, laying the groundwork for the later westward shift of the capital.
2. c. 1002–1050Angkor Thom (Yasodharapura) · Siem Reap ProvinceSuryavarman I greatly expanded the capital and its hydraulic works; in the 1020s the population and temple density of the Angkor region rose sharply, as the settlement grew from a religious center into an imperial administrative-economic hub forming a continuous built-up area with surrounding irrigated zones.
3. c. 1113–1300The entire Angkor region · Siem Reap ProvinceGiant sandstone temples such as Angkor Wat were completed, and the settlement belt extended along canals and barays, forming one of Southeast Asia's largest pre-industrial urban landscapes interweaving temples, dwellings, workshops, and royal quarters.
4. c. 1431–1500Angkor region · Siem Reap ProvinceSiamese military pressure and the neglect of the hydraulic system led to the capital's southward move to Phnom Penh; the Angkor region's population plummeted, jungle covered temples and streets, and the settlement's function ended, becoming a historic ruins landscape.