Buildings of the Royal Palace
The palace is a great example of Khmer architecture, with a slight French touch, and consists of four main compounds, three public and one inner court with the living areas of the royal family. The palace occupies about 175,000 square meters (42 acres or 17.5 hectares) in the center of Phnom Penh.
My entry ticket to the palace grounds is dedicated with the statement, "On the Auspicious Occasion of the 64th Birthday Anniversary of His Majesty Norodom Sihamoni, King of Cambodia. May His Majesty be blessed with the four sublime blessings of Lord Buddha: Longevity, Good Health, Great Happiness and Wisdom." We all can't wish for much more than that!
Inside several of the buildings are displays of clothing worn by past kings and their families and members of the court living in the palace.
Royal Clothing
On the palace grounds, are great statues and monuments.
On the grounds
Painted on the walls surrounding the courtyards of the palace are murals, some new and some very old, depicting important historical events for Cambodia.
Murals on the walls surrounding the courtyards
Inside the temples are statues of Buddha and other collections from the palaces.
Statues on display
Near the end of the walk through the place, passing out of the final courtyard, is a band playing for our entertainment.
Band
A final series of buildings displays thrones and sedan chairs used by the royal family and displays of silver and gold elephants given as presents to the kings.
Thrones and sedan chairs
Cabinets of silver and gold elephants
Cambodian history
The palace and grounds are incredible, but also the displays and history offer a lot to help understand and appreciate this country and its people.
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