Prasat Suor Prat

Tower in Siem Reap

Suor Prat Towers In The Angkor Thom Area

CC BY-SA 3.0 / CEphoto, Uwe Aranas

Located inside Angkor Thom, about 180 meters east of the Royal Palace and its terraces, Prasat Suor Prat consists of twelve monumental and enigmatic towers made from laterite. They stand in front of the north and south Khleangs, with six towers on each side of Victory Avenue, the causeway leading to the Victory Gate. The towers are aligned along a north-south axis, but the two nearest towers to Victory Avenue on either side are slightly off-axis, positioned to the east.

The name Prasat Suor Prat is a contemporary one, derived from the local belief that the towers once supported wires for acrobatic performances during royal festivals. The surrounding area is often referred to as the Royal Plaza, possibly inspired by the records of Zhou Daguan, a 13th-century Chinese missionary. Zhou wrote about the grand festivals held in this area and noted the towers’ use in settling disputes among the Angkorian people (as described in his work, Customs of Cambodia). While no structural or archaeological evidence supports the wire-dancing theory, it remains a popular local legend.

The exact purpose and construction date of the towers remain a mystery, as no inscriptions or foundation steles have been found. Many researchers suggest they were likely built during the 12th to 13th centuries, though some date them more specifically to the 12th century.

The construction of the towers is distinctive, with a blocky, squared layout featuring balustered windows around each side. The towers incorporate false levels of diminishing size to create height, and a mandapa (hall) extends at the entrance. Interestingly, the ruins of Boeng Srae Khang Lech Temple at Preah Khan of Kampong Svay share some architectural similarities with these towers.

Despite their prominent location, the towers were primarily constructed from laterite, a material typically used for foundations and walls. Sandstone was used for the doorframes, window frames, and frontons. Notably, the towers were never fully completed—frontons remain unfinished, and no traces of final rendering have been found on the laterite. This suggests the towers may have been constructed in haste or were abandoned before completion.

The Prasat Suor Prat appears in our Complete Guide to Visiting Siem Reap!

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