What the British Museum is to the Elgin Marbles of Greece's Parthenon, the National Museum of Phnom Penh, opened in 1920 by King Sisowath, is to the statuary of Angkor Wat. This important storehouse holds artifacts and statuary from all regions of Cambodia and is housed in a beautiful building built in the 1920s. The sad fact is that many pieces didn't make it here -- they were plundered and smuggled out of the country. Nevertheless, this grand red-sandstone edifice has a beautiful and informative collection of Khmer pieces displayed around a pretty central courtyard. From the entrance, begin on your left with a room of small prehistoric artifacts. A clockwise loop around the central courtyard walks you through time, from static, stylized pieces of stiff-legged, standing Buddhas, to contra-posed and contorted forms in supplication. There are good accompanying descriptions in English, but this is not a bad place to have a knowledgeable guide (ask in the lobby). The central courtyard features a Shiva lingam and large temple fragments. Near the more significant works, the statue of Jayavarman VII for example, elderly women, looking like museum docents, hand out incense and flowers and instruct visitors to place them on makeshift altars. Don't feel obliged -- kind of off-putting to some -- but feel free to do so if you wish.
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