Nes­tled in the jun­gles of north­west­ern Cam­bo­dia is Angkor, a city that UNESCO calls one of the most impor­tant archae­o­log­i­cal sites of South­east Asia. As the cap­i­tal of the Khmer King­dom, this site offers excit­ing insight into the civ­i­liza­tion, includ­ing its use of hydraulic struc­tures and urban plan­ning, as well as its art and archi­tec­ture.

One notable struc­ture is the tem­ple Ta Prohm, orig­i­nal­ly called Rajav­i­hara, mean­ing “monastery of the king.” It is strik­ing not only for its con­struc­tion but also for the way that, over time, it has become one with the sur­round­ing jun­gle. While oth­er mon­u­ments in Angkor have been pro­tect­ed from being over­run by trees, archae­ol­o­gists have let nature run its course with Ta Prohm. The result is a beau­ti­ful mar­riage between man and Earth.