May 15, 2006—Cambodian king Norodom Sihamoni celebrated his 53rd birthday yesterday in the town of Kompong Speu (Cambodia map), not quite 200 miles (320 kilometers) south of one of his nation's most revered cultural sites: the ruins of Angkor, home of the renowned Angkor Wat.

The famous "city of temples" started as a mausoleum for a 12th-century king and expanded to cover hundreds of acres. See how the world's largest religious complex has faced the ravages of time, and why it has been designated a United Nations World Heritage site.