For more than six centuries, the Khmer Empire stood among the most powerful and accomplished civilizations in Southeast Asia. From its heartland at Angkor, Khmer rulers commanded vast territories, built monumental temples, organized enormous water systems, and supported cities that ranked among the largest of the premodern world.
The empire is remembered most famously for Angkor Wat, but its history is far more detailed. Over time, the empire changed capitals at multiple points and was ruled by a series of ambitious kings who commissioned some of the greatest architecture in the region.
How long, exactly, did this empire last? And why did it end? Click on to find out.