Phnom Bakheng Conservation Project Update

June 2014

Work progress at NE corner

• Insertion of new laterite blocks in the foundations of corner stone shrine B11 and wall reassembly at the NE corner

• Completed reassembly of corner stone shrine C11

• Restoration work at level F, E, D completed

Engineering tasks at site: • Structural survey completed for

all façades on the eastern half of the temple

• Structural survey of brick shrines is currently underway

F

E

D

Northeast – Level B Terrace B is made of compacted soil and laterite not bedrock. To guarantee stability to corner stone shrine B11, WMF strengthened the foundation by inserting new laterite blocks as seen at left. This task is almost complete, with only the top layer missing. The wall reassembly is in progress, shown below, which incorporates original blocks and replacement stone when the originals are missing or beyond repair.

May

February

Northeast – Level C Pavers were reassembled at the East side (below, right) and will be set back at the

North side too. The only other area of intervention that is left at this terrace is where stone shrine C12 previously existed.

The reassembly of corner stone shrine C11 was completed in mid-May. The reassembly began in March 2013 after the foundations were waterproofed using lead sheets and a PVC waterproofing membrane.

Progress of engineering tasks The structural survey for the façade on the eastern half of the temple that

started last February, is now complete. Using the collected data, a work plan that includes graphic and photographic documenation is being prepared that will guide all future work at Phnom Bakheng.

This representation of Phnom Bakheng East elevation, terrace by terrace, highlights the areas that will need to be dismantled, those which are already restored or are now in the process, and finally where the scattered stones will have to be installed.

See level C more in detail

Progress of engineering tasks

Level C

Progress of engineering tasks A structural survey of the brick shrines is currently underway and will help WMF

determine which ones are in most urgent need of repair and what the options are for restoration in order to prevent further collapse .

Work progress at SE corner • Repair of level E wall

foundations using new sandstone blocks and wall reassembly

• Reassembly of level F wall • Survey and retrieval of stones

to be used for wall reassembly • Survey and inventory of stones

originally belonging to the shrines at level A

• Inventory of archaeological artifacts found at site, as required by APSARA National Authority

Level A

Southeast – Level F The work for the reassembly of the South

façade is still underway (top, right) and is scheduled to be completed in August 2014. The work includes reassembly of the original blocks that WMF began to dismantle in December 2012, insertion of stones retrieved from the wooded part of the hill where the original blocks are missing, and installation of laterite units to function as an interface between the wall stones and the bedrock (bottom, right).

In a few locations, the bedrock has

become completely detached, which could be caused by a number of factors that include poor condition of the bedrock or low quality of the cutting carried out by the Khmer workers during the construction phase.

Completing the work at level F and level E is

currently WMF’s highest priority.

Bedrock Laterite interface

Sandstone wall

Southeast – Level E The wall stones were partially sitting on decayed bedrock, which is one of the reasons why the wall was out of plumb. After dismantling the wall, the team removed the decayed rock and cut it to allow the installation of a sandstone block underneath the stones before continuing with the wall reassembly. The blocks inserted as a foundation for the wall have a thickness ranging from 100 mm to 350 mm (bottom, left). This work is almost complete for the whole wall with the exception of a few locations on the South side. The wall reassembly (right) follows the same procedures as in level F: replacement stones are being used since many of the original blocks have been lost over time

Survey and retrieval of stones

• Survey and retrieval of stones found along the side of the hill is progressing. To date, 86% of the stones necessary for level F have been found for a total of 640 of the 742 that are required, and at level E all 471 blocks have been found in the same area in the wooded side of the hill. The work plan that is being prepared by the team will help to calculate an estimate for the number of stone units that need to be retrieved. WMF has requested that APSARA organize additional demining since unexplored land mines are still being found at site.

Stones from level A A large seated Buddha was built at the end of the 16th century on top of

level A that was composed of 5 shrines (see left, courtesy of EFEO archive). The blocks that were used for its construction came from the temple shrines and the elevation walls. The blocks were completely dismantled and released on the hill during past interventions about 100 years ago.

WMF started a survey of all the scattered stones found at the site in proximity to the temple. Stones were retrieved that originally belonged to the shrines of level A. The results are shown in the picture on the right. So far, 119 stones were found at level A (green areas) and 42 were found on the wooded side of the hill (blue areas).

Inventory of archaeological artifacts During WMF’s conservation activities,

archaeological artifacts have been discovered and an inventory is being completed to document the finds and report them to APSARA. Sample finds include:

(1) 4 linggas found on the wooded side of the

hill, related to the dedication of the temple to Hindu god Shiva (IX century )

(2) a statue of Boddhisatva Lokeshvara buried

near brick shrine G4, from the Mahayana Buddhism phase (12th/13th century )

(3) & (4) two shoulder fragments, three arm

fragments, and one ear fragment from a Buddha statue were found inside G4; a Buddha statue was installed in the late Angkor period, with a Theravada Buddhism dedication. This statue is documented in a photo taken by the French team in the 1920s-30s. Today this statue is in front of the southern library at Phnom Bakheng. When appropriate, found pieces remain on site. In other instances they are transferred to storage, to Conservation d’Angkor, or another repository at APSARA’s direction.

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WMF is appreciative of the support of the US Embassy in Phnom Penh, the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation, the Robert W. Wilson Challenge to Conserve Our Heritage, and other private donors who are supporting the conservation program at Phnom Bakheng.