Khmer Hydraulic Engineering

Timeline

1. c. 800–900Angkor region · Siem Reap ProvinceKhmer monarchs began building small reservoirs and diversion channels along the edges of the Tonlé Sap and Mekong floodplains, attempting to regulate seasonal rainfall and expand rice cultivation area.
2. c. 900–1100West Baray (western bank of the baray) · Siem Reap ProvinceGiant man-made reservoirs such as the West Baray and East Baray were successively built, and with a canal network covering the Angkor area they formed an agriculture–hydraulics complex capable of supporting large-scale population and temple construction.
3. 1101–1110Angkor hydraulic network · Siem Reap ProvinceOver this decade the hydraulic system was in mature operation, steadily supplying the capital with grain and temple-building labor, providing key material support for the start of Angkor Wat's construction in 1113, and embodying the peak of Khmer hydraulic technology.
4. 1431Angkor region · Siem Reap ProvinceAfter the capital was abandoned in 1431 the hydraulic system gradually silted up and ceased functioning; from the 20th century onward remote sensing and archaeological research have revealed its scale anew, making it important evidence for understanding the interaction between Angkor civilization and its environment.