AKP Phnom Penh, March 24, 2025 --   

A total of 85,453 national and international tourists flocked to Angkor Wat Temple in Siem Reap provincial city to admire and take picture of equinox, a natural phenomenon when the sun rises over the central tower of Angkor Wat Temple, from Mar. 21 to 23, said the APSARA National Authority on Sunday.

Among them, the source added, 14,233 were foreign tourists who travelled from various countries to witness the breathtaking sunrise over the central peak of this iconic Angkor Wat complex, the same source added.

The equinox is the time when day and night are approximately equal in length, unlike some normal months when the night is longer than the day or the day is longer than the night.

The equinox at Angkor Wat is not a coincidence, it is a feature of the Khmer ancestors who prepared the architecture of the temple in advance, with the intention of adjusting the natural phenomena for Angkor Wat to create an event of the sunrise at the top of temple.

This special sunrise event occurs twice a year, in March (Spring or Vernal Equinox) and in September (Autumn Equinox).

By Phal Sophanith