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ABSTRACT
Many ancient brick structures have been recorded in the archaeological site of Sambor Prei Kuk. Most of these structures were considered to be built in the 7th century as religious facilities of royal city Isanapura and abandoned in the 15th century. Since then, the brick structures in this site had been covered by dense forest and suffered severe damage due to the tropical climate. This archaeological site was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2017, and proper intervention is needed to preserve the remaining brick structures. The Sambor Prei Kuk Conservation Project carried out comprehensive research on the state of conservation for all 286 brick structures in this site. This project has developed a risk map, and carried out the survey of structural deformation and diagnosis of deterioration. Based on these surveys, the main causes of damage were identified: outward deformation of the base and foundation; thrust caused by the roof of the corbel arch; structural weakness at the door opening; fragmentation of brickwork by invasive vegetation; and impact of fallen tree. Finally, appropriate and acceptable restoration methods which can effectively stabilize and consolidate the brick structures to prevent further destruction while not negatively affecting the authenticity were discussed.
Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful to all concerned experts and institutes for the conservation activities of the Sambor Prei Kuk, in particular to the Director of the Department of Culture and Fine Arts in Kampong Thom province, Mr. Hin Sophoarn, and the Director General of the National Authority for Sambor Prei Kuk, Mr. Phann Nady. In addition, we would like to express the deepest appreciation to the long-term supports to this restoration projects from The Sumitomo Foundation and Foundation for Cultural Heritage and Art Research.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Supplementary material
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