Royal Palace in Phnom Penh

The palace was built in 1866, when King Norodom moved the capital from Oudong back to Phnom Penh, and it has remained the residence of the ruling dynasty ever since. The main building of the complex is the Throne Hall, Preah Tineang Tevea Vinichhay, rebuilt anew in 1919: above its cruciform body rises a tower fifty-nine metres high, crowned with a four-faced finial in the manner of Bayon. In the southern part of the enclosure stands the Silver Pagoda, named after its floor of five thousand silver tiles, where the Emerald Buddha and a life-size gold figure studded with diamonds are kept. A gallery with paintings of the Reamker, the Khmer version of the Ramayana, runs around the perimeter of its courtyard, and a stone model of Angkor Wat is displayed in the yard. Part of the palace is closed because the king lives in it, but the throne section and the pagoda are open for viewing during the day.

On the map