Banteay Chhmar, Cambodia
Birthplace of Famous Khmer Face Towers
The conservation team hard at work, carefully restoring the Southeast wall.
GHF is supporting Community Based Tourism (CBT) through training of guides and small tourism business owners and workers, especially disadvantaged rural poor people, in:
- Guide Association Management
- Homestays and Restaurants
- Sanitation and Clean Water
- Market and Village Improvements
- Promoting Regional Attractions
GHF and The Banteay Chhmar Conservation Training Project plans for the continued growth and development of the Community Based Tourism Project to enable it to be self-sufficient within two years of GHF support. GHF plans to provide the setting up costs for the development of a Waste Management Program and the establishment of a Guide Training Program.
The training program for the seven stone conservators has been very successful. The team has undergone formal training in both Khmer history as well as the theory of stone conservation. Site work in Banteay Chhmar took them through a course of cleaning, stabilization and repair as well as the repair and repointing of lacunae. Special attention was paid to the development of suitable formulae to match both color and the compatibility of materials. The team is now working on the stones of the bas relief with monitoring from the Khmer conservator who taught them. This was a unique training program in that the whole course was taught by Khmers in Khmer.
Visit the Community Based Tourism website.
