National Museum of Cambodia

After the fabulous Angkor National Museum in Siem Reap, we didn’t have high hopes for the National Museum of Cambodia. Nonetheless, our hotel is only a block away, so we walked over. After a bit of a mix-up about guides, we made it in, with an English-speaking guide.

He, unfortunately, was sick with a cold. Although he wore a mask, he would remove it to cough. It looks like I might have picked it up.

One of the things one can say about many colonizers, is that they had no problem swiping the really good historical stuff from the cultures they conquered. This is certainly the case here. There were some very beautiful items on display.

The Building –

The Oldest Statue –

Guys Fighting (Gambling Involved) –

Male Worship (Fertility? No exaggeration I’m sure) –

Collection –

Goddess and Child –

For most of the 1900’s, and especially during the Khmer Rouge reign of terror, there was quite a bit of looting of Cambodian treasures. Over 1000 items have been recovered from collections around the world. There was a gallery dedicated to returned items. This is one story –