【素材】Module-6-文本-Angkor-Wat-Cambodia(柬埔寨吴哥窟-)-外研.doc

提到吴哥窟，人们自然会想起《花样年华》的最后一幕：一个男人将无法对人倾诉，甚至自己都无法面对的一段情感秘密讲给吴哥窟的一个石洞听，再把它盖上，让发生在花样年华的故事从此留在吴哥，这里的一切，包括他的秘密，都会被自然带走，成为永恒的回忆。

Located in Northwestern Cambodia, Angkor, the Capital of the Ancient Khmer Empire was possibly founded around the Ninth Century AD by King Jayavarman II（苏利耶跋摩二世）. However, the city reached its peak glory in the 12th Century under Kings Suryavarman II and Jayavarman VII.

The most beautiful and most famous monument in the city, Angkor Wat, lies about one kilometer south of the Royal town of Angkor Thom which was founded by Jayavarman VII.

The Temple of Angkor Wat was dedicated to the Hindu God Vishnu（供奉毗湿奴） by King Suryavarman II, who reigned （统治）between AD 1131 and 1150.

The Temple was constructed over a period of 30 years, and illustrates some of the most beautiful examples of Khmer and Hindu art. Covering an area of about 81 hectares（公顷）, the complex consists of five towers, which are presently shown on the Cambodian national flag.

These towers are believed to represent the five peaks of Mount Meru, the Home of Gods and Center of the Hindu Universe. Angkor Wat features the longest continuous bas-relief in the world, which runs along the outer gallery walls, narrating stories from Hindu Mythology.

With the decline of the Ancient Khmer Empire, Angkor Wat was turned into a Buddhist Temple and was continuously maintained, which helped its preservation. In 1992, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee declared the monument, and the whole city of Angkor, a World Heritage Site.

吴哥是高棉人（柬埔寨的人口最多的民族）的精神中心和宗教中心， 是9-15世纪东南亚高棉王国的都城。“吴哥”（Angkor）一词源于梵语“Nagara”，意为都市。吴哥王朝（公元802年-1431年）先后有25位国王，统治着中南半岛南端及越南和孟加拉湾之间的大片土地，势力范围远远超出了今天柬埔寨的领土，吴哥所在地暹粒中的“暹”是泰国的简称“暹粒”是战胜泰国的意思。历代国王大兴土木，留下了吴哥城（Angkor Thom）， 吴哥窟（Angkor Wat）和女王宫等印度教与佛教建筑风格的寺塔。1431年，泰族军队攻占并洗劫了吴哥，繁华的吴哥从此湮没于方圆45平方公里榛莽之中，成为一片杂木丛生的废墟，逐渐被人们遗忘。19世纪后期，吴哥被重新发现。