Royal Palace

The Royal Palace itself is strictly off-limits, but it's possible to visit several buildings within the compound, even when the king is around - a blue flag flies when he is in residence. The original palace on this site was built in 1866 during the reign of King Norodom, great-grandfather to the present king. Norodom decided to move his residence from the then capital, Udong, to Phnom Penh, presumably on the advice of his colonial masters. In 1913, work began to replace the deteriorating wood-and-brick structures with the current concrete buildings, remaining faithful to the original designs.

Visitors enter via the Silver Pagoda and are directed to the palace compound first, an oasis of order and calm, its perfect gardens and well maintained buildings strangely at odds with the chaos of the city outside. Head straight for the main building in the centre of the compound, the exquisite Throne Hall , guarded on either side by statues of naga. The cambered ornamental curves that adorn the tiered roof are also likenesses of naga, their flowing tails peeling upwards into the air, as if trying to prise open the layered roof. The hall is crowned by a spire with four heads carved around its base, a modern-day rendering of the ancient carved faces at Bayon . Inside, the ceiling is adorned with colourful murals recounting the Hindu legend of Ramayana. The throne itself, watched over by busts of past monarchs, only sees action at coronations.

Leaving the Throne Hall via the main stairs, on your left you'll see the Elephant Pavilion where the king's elephants were kept. A similar building on the right, the Royal Treasury , once housed the crown jewels, royal dress and other valuable items. In front and to the left, bordering Sothearos Boulevard, is the Chan Chaya Pavilion, from where the king used to address his subjects. Classical dancing also used to be a regular event at this podium, but it's little used nowadays.

Back towards the Silver Pagoda stands the quaint grey Pavilion of Napoleon III , originally erected at the residence of Empress Eugénie in Egypt, then packed up and transported to Cambodia as a gift to King Norodom. It was reassembled on this site in 1876, and now contains royal portraits, dresses for the royal ballet, and other royal paraphernalia. From the balcony it's possible to view the ornate detail of the roof of the neighbouring Royal Offices.

The internal wall of the Silver Pagoda is decorated with a faded mural, another depiction of the Ramayana myth, painted in 1903-4 by forty Khmer artists. A Polish project to restore the fresco ran out of money, so it remains in a state of disrepair. The Silver Pagoda takes its name from the floor of the temple, completely covered with silver tiles - 5329 to be exact. The temple is also known as Preah Vihear Keo Morakot ("Temple of the Emerald Buddha"), after the famous Emerald Buddha image kept here. Made from baccarat crystal, the Buddha image was a gift from France in 1885. Near the central dais stands another Buddha, a solid-gold life-size statue, decorated with over nine thousand diamonds and precious stones.

Publishes at : 07-07-29 10:50

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