August 5, 2008—Buddhist monks stroll the grounds of Preah Vihear temple—a sacred site at the center of a potentially violent political standoff.

The complex dates from the ninth to eleventh centuries A.D., when the Khmer Empire controlled both sides of the modern Thailand/Cambodia border. (See Map.)

The International Court of Justice awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962, but wrangling continues over 1.8 square miles (4.6 square kilometers) of land that provides access to the site.

The standoff, which began July 15 after UNESCO named the temple a World Heritage Site, has soldiers from both sides positioned near Preah Vihear—and many Thais and Cambodians praying for peace.

—Brian Handwerk

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