Banteay Chhmar, Cambodia
Birthplace of Famous Khmer Face Towers
The conservation team hard at work, carefully restoring the Southeast wall.
GHF is funding a two-year program to test materials, develop methods and train a local team to carry out the conservation of the sandstone bas-reliefs of Banteay Chhmar. Led by the South Asian Conservation and Restoration Agency (SACRA) Conservation Team under GHF’s supervision, the preliminary training will be done, for the first time, in the Khmer language by Khmers for Khmers, which will be a landmark in the sustainable conservation process for Cambodia.
This training and model conservation program will include:
- training in emergency and full stone conservation methods, materials and approaches;
- preparation of a manual in English and Khmer regarding methods and materials;
- execution of a sampling and testing program that will provide scientific data necessary for understanding the decay mechanisms and nature of the constituent materials as well as for the planning and testing of conservation methods and materials;
- development of a conservation method using appropriate materials, based on the results of the testing;
- the full photographic documentation of the carved surfaces at the site, the naming and numbering of all elements and the preparation of a full risk and priority map for the planning and execution of the conservation program for the carved surfaces.
GHF will, in collaboration with the MCFA, set up a conservation team to carry out research on and emergency conservation of endangered structures while in the long-term providing a showcase for conservation of remotely located temples in rural Cambodia, enhancing the knowledge of Khmer Culture through research and conservation, and contributing to community-based tourism that supports and enhances the local community and environment.
The Face Tower 18 North is considered to be one of the unique features of Banteay Chhmar, and is threatening collapse. Therefore, as part of an emergency program, the GHF team decided that it was essential to dismantle part of the Face Tower. A program was set up for the recording and dismantling of the Face Tower followed by its repair, consolidation and reassembly. The process will benefit from the 3D laser scanning process.
