Banteay Prey Nokor

Banteay Prei Nokor is a sprawling pre-Angkor city in eastern Cambodia dating to the late 8th century, predating the classical Khmer empire by centuries. It is considered the early capital of King Jayavarman II — the ruler whose long political odyssey across Southeast Asia eventually led him to found Angkor and launch the Khmer golden age. That founding role makes this site archaeologically significant: its urban and religious layout represents Khmer civilization in an early, less codified form, before the monumental temple style of Angkor Wat emerged. The site is on Cambodia's UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List and remains only partially excavated, leaving much of its extent unknown.