Ak Yum Temple
Ak Yum Temple is located in the south of western baray, approximately a kilometre before the western end.
Ak Yum is the earliest known temple mountain architectural design. Inscriptions indicate that a temple dedicated to the Hindu. It is located in the southern of western baray. Ak Yum is regarded as the oldest Angkor ruin in the area. During the construction of the West Baray, which is located immediately to the north of it, parts of Ak Yum was built over. It is not certain which Khmer king built this monument. Ak Yum were re-used during the reign of Jayavarman I. Similarly, the ruins as visible today was built over the original structure.
This temple, a little to away of the major monuments of Angkor is not of great interest for a tourist but is archaeologically very important. Inscriptions indicate the first construction to this temple in 609, which makes of him the oldest pre-Angkorian vestige found at this date. It was located on the road of first Angkor , and was partially buried during the construction of Phnom Bakheng, then definitively buried at the beginning of the XII° century during the installation of the dams of Baray.
This temple is also the first prototype of mountain temple, concept largely included thereafter in the various Angkorian constructions. Because of its stranding, the release of Ak Yum was a considerable work, it was even necessary to dynamite part of the dam to discover it completely.
