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 Stump noticed a floating tree in the water, in the branches of which something shone. 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, should certainly be located on a hill. Therefore, the widow made a small hill, on top of which she installed statuettes. Soon this place became sacred to all the locals who, after some time, erected the temple of Wat Phnom here. Around the temple gradually grew the city, which was called Phnom Penh, which means "Widow Hill Stump."
The modern capital of Cambodia gained its official status in 1422. Over the centuries of the city’s existence, he had to endure many trials. Recent difficult events are related to the Khmer Rouge regime. During this period, Cambodia, the capital of which 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 the hotels in Cambodia, which are mostly located in Phnom Penh, attract more and more tourists from different countries.
The capital of Cambodia is known for its amazing mix of traditions of ancient Asia and architecture of the colonial era. Nearby you can see the majestic and picturesque Buddhist pagodas and medieval buildings erected in a purely French style.
The city consists of three districts. In its southern part are concentrated state institutions and banks. Here, all the buildings are mainly erected in a colonial style. The northern part is residential, almost the entire population of the city lives here. In the central areas of Phnom Penh there are a variety of 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 a very interesting tourist a lot from 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 cultural and historical monuments, be sure to take a walk on a small ship along the Tonle Sap River. From here you can see many memorable places of the city.
Of course, it is unlikely that anyone will be able to return from Cambodia without a variety of souvenirs and memorabilia. There are three of the capital’s most well-known markets for tourists: Central (a huge retail area where you can buy almost anything you want), Night (designed mainly for tourists and has the appropriate assortment), Russian (one of the first markets opened in the city for foreigners).