German Apsara Conservation Project

Nearly 1,850 of these female figures, popularly known as Apsaras, adorn the surface of Angkor Wat and some of them are in an extremely alarming state of decay.

The detailed investigations have confirmed that, in the case of some 360 of the Apsaras, the damage is so serious that significant quantities of carved stone surface could become detached at any time.

Ultimately, it will not be possible to completely stop the damage to the reliefs, which means that regular and sound maintenance of the monument is the most effective conservation measure.

The students from Phnom Penh participate in courses of stone conservation and some of them have written their diploma theses with the joint supervision of the Royal University of Fine Arts and the GACP consultants.

When the University of Applied Sciences Cologne began to assess and evaluate the situation at Angkor in 1995, with a view of preparing a conservation project, it was immediately clear that the documentation of the surfaces and subsequently of the intervention would have to be approached in an exceptional way.