The Ponhea Yat stupa at Wat Phnom

Ponhea Yat was the last ruler of the Khmer empire and the first king ruling the kingdom of Kampuchea/Cambodia from Phnom Penh.

The old Khmer capital in Angkor Thom was abanded in 1431 CE. The smaller kingdom needed an easier defendable city, closer to trade routes and waterways. This new Cambodian Kingdom was a Buddhist kingdom and the Hindu god king status disappeared with the Empire.

City of many names
After Ponhea Yat had completed the new royal palace, he gave the new capital the short name Krong Chaktomuk Serei Mongkol, ‘City of the Brahma’s Faces’. It refers to the four rivers that meets and flows in the capital area.

The full name of the kings capital was “Krong Chaktomuk Mongkol Sakal Kampuchea Thipadei Serei Theakreak Bavar Intabat Borei Roat Reach Seima Moha Nokor”. That is translated loosely to “The place of four rivers that gives the happiness and success of Khmer Kingdom, the highest leader as well as impregnable city of the God Indra of the great kingdom”

Several stupas
The main large and lesser smaller stupas contains the remains of the king and members of his royal family. His remains are kept prominently in this stupa behind the main pagoda in Wat Phnom. This is the central, artificial sacred hill on the southwest riverside of Tonlé Sap being the namesake and origin of the capital city.

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A golden lion with a Bird’s view

A Royal Golden lion guard sharing a bird’s view on the spot where Tonle Sap and Mekong Rivers are meeting. It is just in front of the Royal Square and Royal Castle in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

This meeting point is at the middle of Sisowath Quay river walk. It is still a nice walk both north and south from this point. If the cooling breeze from the river is there, of course. On a quiet day it will become a very hot walk pretty fast.

This riverside walk has been extended after the Pandemic. Now it extends north towards the Chroy Changvar Bridge, were the large main roads north and northwest enters Phnom Penh proper. And it has been stretched south along, around and over Koh Pich Island with its modern riverside development of housing and shopping areas.

Along the walk there are some interesting places to take photos, and there are new offerings of drinks and eating targeting people enjoying this walk. Being locals or visitors.

King Sisowath was king of Cambodia in the early 1900s, at the time Phnom Penh was called the Pearl of Asia because of the French Asian architecture, modern city design and art deco styled facades and public art.

Today the riverside walk mirrors this experience, showing the growth and development of a new metropolitan area in Southeast Asia.

https://traveltriangle.com/blog/sisowath-riverside-park/

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"Old angry man blue sky river"

An evening where a sudden change to rainy clouds added heavy blue tone to the Tonle Sap River Walk along Sisowath Quay.

And some reminiscence of a rather angry man in the cloud warning of a rainy night, indeed...

In the evening, the riverside fills up by locals socializing, playing, exercising, eating, drinking, dating and selling. It is hard to say if it is more lively there than in the old town behind Sisowath Quay, or the heavy trafficked river filled with boats on the other side.

The river boats offering day cruise, sunset cruise or dinner cruise are always out try to fill up their boats. Their sales agents work hard to get late arriving guests to choose their boat for the evening.

This evening’s river cruise boats waiting for their guests may need to prepare for a reduced visibility later. On the other hand, with this sunset, customers will be compensated.

https://drzinasia.wordpress.com/2020/06/23/a-spot-to-enjoy-the-slow-relaxing-hours-before/

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A spot to enjoy the slow, relaxing hours before sunset

The riverside walk along the west side of Tonle Sap River and east of Sisowath Quay Blvd. stretches nearly 4 kilometres. That is past the junction where Ton Le Sap joins the mighty Mekong River in front of the Royal Square and the Royal Palace. Then it continues to Koh Pich Island.

It is a nice walk and deeply needed when the day is hot and the sun is beating down. There is always a cooling breeze there. And for people who learns and experience places and cities by walking, fresh, moving air is always welcome.

The tree along the walk provides some shadow in addition, making the walk pleasant with some break på option.
Those who is bothered by the heat, or want to reduce the exposure to direct sun, this walk is peaceful and cooler in the morning. The few people out along the riverside are often tourists or people doing their morning run.

The riverside walk is an essential part of a visit to Phnom Penh and the Kingdom of Cambodia. Tonle Sap River and Mekong River are vital for the history of the Kingdom and former empire. And the rivers are two out the several rivers forming the basis for the capital 600 years ago.

https://drzinasia.wordpress.com/2021/09/08/where-to-chill-and-enjoy-the-slow-relaxing-hours/

#funinthesun #sun #bluesky #riverwalk #tree #shadow #citywalk #skyline #river #tonlesap #mekong #2019CE #Phnom #Penh #Riverside #Sisowat #quay #PhnomPenh #nicespot #nicewalk #eveningspot #citylife #pearlofasia #Phnom #Penh #Riverside #Architecture #art #bluesky #Cambodia #capital #citylife #daytrip #funinthesun #history #longmarket #Mekong #pearlofAsia #SisowathQuay #skyline #trees

A panorama to a Win-win-area

This panorama from the front side of the Win-win Memorial shows the scale of the peace and recreation area.

The entire area spans 8 hectares and serves as a place of remembrance, reflection, and motivation. In addition to the central monument, there’s a separate 117-meter-long memorial wall adorned with bas-reliefs that narrate the journey toward a lasting peace after the foreign and civil wars. The site also features eight large and small water pools, a dedicated museum, several sculptures, and freshly planted trees and vegetation to create a greener park-like environment.

On the other end of the main road behind the flags the new big arena/stadium was being built. The new Morodok Techo National Stadium/arena was built to host sports event follow international rules for size and dimensions.
After it was finished, it has hosted various major international sporting event. Including the Asia Games. Additionally, this versatile arena can be used for concerts and exhibitions.

The memorial is located two metric miles north of the capital city Phnom Penh. The Win-Win Memorial, or វិមានឈ្នះឈ្នះ (Vĭméan Chhneăh Chhneăh) in Khmer, marks the end of over 30 years of civil wars and two decades of relatively successful transition to a peaceful society. The memorial was inaugurated in December 2018.

This photo was taken during a visit 8 weeks after the inaugural in 2019.

https://drzinasia.wordpress.com/2025/01/01/a-memorial-over-a-win-win-peace-strategy/

#2019CE #angkor #architecture #art #Asia #ទន្លេសាបពញ-យ-តវិមានឈ្នះឈ្នះ #bluesky #buddhism #Cambodia #CambodiaPeaceDay #capital #capitalcity #citylife #countryside #NikonD850 #daytrip #endofcivilwars #history #moderncapital #Nikkor #Nikon #peaceful #pearlofAsia #PhnomPenh #roadtrip #transport #travel #VĭméanChhneăhChhneăh #win-win #winwinmemorial #WinWin #Memorial #វិមានឈ្នះឈ្នះ #Khmer

Overgrown tools of war in peace park

A notable feature in the Win-Win Memorial is a separate Peace Park south of the main monument.
Military equipment such as fighter jets, armoured vehicles, cannons, and tanks is displayed, surrounded and slowly engulfed by trees and plants that will eventually envelop the war machines.
A simple, yet powerful message.
The Win-Win Memorial or វិមានឈ្នះឈ្នះ (Vĭméan Chhneăh Chhneăh) in Khmer, marks the end of over 30 years of civil wars and two decades of relatively successful transition to a peaceful society. The memorial was inaugurated in December 2018.
This Memorial is located two miles north of the capital city Phnom Penh.
The photos shown here are from my visit with Khmer friends in February 2019, six weeks after the inauguration.
Photos show a MIG- 21 “Fishbed” supersonic fighter, an early Soviet-era T-55 MBT and a 105 mm towed light howitzer field canon.

https://drzinasia.wordpress.com/2025/01/01/a-memorial-over-a-win-win-peace-strategy/

#2019CE #angkor #architecture #art #Asia #ទន្លេសាបពញ-យ-តវិមានឈ្នះឈ្នះ #bluesky #buddhism #Cambodia #CambodiaPeaceDay #capital #capitalcity #citylife #countryside #NikonD850 #daytrip #endofcivilwars #history #moderncapital #Nikkor #Nikon #peaceful #pearlofAsia #PhnomPenh #roadtrip #transport #travel #VĭméanChhneăhChhneăh #win-win #winwinmemorial #WinWin #Memorial #វិមានឈ្នះឈ្នះ #Khmer

Speed entry at Win-Win

When you are seven years old, speed is of essence. All the time!
A memorial symbolizing peace and reconciliation is probably worth to make a run for.
Located two miles north of the capital city Phnom Penh is the Win-Win Memorial, the first structure in what was to become a larger memorial and activity park area including a new sports stadium.
The main area is flanked by Cambodian and Buddhist flags.
The entire area spans 8 hectares and serves as a place of remembrance, reflection, and motivation. In addition to the central monument, there’s a separate 117-meter-long memorial wall adorned with bas-reliefs that narrate the journey toward peace. The site also features eight large and small water pools, a dedicated museum, several sculptures, and freshly planted trees and vegetation to create a greener park-like environment.
The Win-Win Memorial or វិមានឈ្នះឈ្នះ (Vĭméan Chhneăh Chhneăh) in Khmer, marks the end of over 30 years of civil wars and two decades of relatively successful transition to a peaceful society. The memorial was inaugurated in December 2018.

#2019CE #angkor #architecture #art #Asia #ទន្លេសាបពញ-យ-តវិមានឈ្នះឈ្នះ #bluesky #buddhism #Cambodia #CambodiaPeaceDay #capital #capitalcity #citylife #countryside #NikonD850 #daytrip #endofcivilwars #history #moderncapital #Nikkor #Nikon #peaceful #pearlofAsia #PhnomPenh #roadtrip #transport #travel #VĭméanChhneăhChhneăh #win-win #winwinmemorial #WinWin #Memorial #វិមានឈ្នះឈ្នះ #Khmer #nationalmonument #peace #reconciliation

The core promises of a Win-win-peace

Located two miles north of the capital city Phnom Penh is the Win-Win Memorial, a larger memorial and activity park area.

The Win-Win Memorial marks the end of over 30 years of civil wars and two decades of relatively successful transition to a peaceful society. It was inaugurated in December 2018.

Monolithic central stage
At the heart of the memorial stands a three-sided 33-meter-high monolith with a pentagonal base. The three sides represent guarantees given to all Khmer Rouge soldiers who surrendered: exemption from life sentences, employment, and the right to own property.

The pentagonal base symbolises the 5 main points in the Win-Win strategy: Divide, Isolate, Finish, Integrate and Develop.

Statues serving a punch of guardian symbolism
One of the sculptures repeated on three sides of the monument base depicts a three-headed elephant carrying a Garuda on its back, supporting a flying Naga serpent figure.

The elephants symbolize wisdom and royal power. The Garuda, a bird-human demigod from Hinduism, serves both as a devoted servant to the main deity Vishnu and an efficient, flexible guardian who swiftly comes to aid.

The three-headed Naga atop the sculpture signifies both wealth and prosperity, with each head corresponding to Buddhist trinity: the central head represents Buddha, the right head represents Dharma (Natural Law, the Rule of Good Life), and the left head represents the monks.

Naga also represents the mythic origin of the Khmer people.

https://drzinasia.wordpress.com/2025/01/01/a-memorial-over-a-win-win-peace-strategy/

#2019CE #angkor #architecture #art #Asia #ទន្លេសាបពញ-យ-តវិមានឈ្នះឈ្នះ #bluesky #buddhism #Cambodia #CambodiaPeaceDay #capital #capitalcity #citylife #countryside #NikonD850 #daytrip #endofcivilwars #history #moderncapital #Nikkor #Nikon #peaceful #pearlofAsia #PhnomPenh #roadtrip #transport #travel #VĭméanChhneăhChhneăh #win-win #winwinmemorial #WinWin #Memorial #វិមានឈ្នះឈ្នះ #Khmer