Phnom Penh is a capital and the most populated city in Cambodia. This is a large political, cultural and historical center that has long started to attract attention of inquisitive travelers. According to one of the beautiful legends, the first settlement was established here in 1372. The name of the city can be literally translated from Khmer as “Hill of Mother Penh”. The founder of the first settlement was exactly nun Penh.
When she walked along the bank of the Mekong and saw a tree trunk sailing down the river. Something was sparkling in the branches. It was five statues of Buddha, four of which were bronze and one was wooden. Nuns created a high hill near the house and installed an altar with statues. A little later, the monastery of Wat Phnom was founded on this place. Remarkably, all these interesting events had taken place. The scientists have found quite a logical explanation of such unusual find. According to them, the sacred statues belonged to one of the Lao temples and were washed away by the river current during one rite.
Since its founding, the settlement has had a beneficial strategic position. In its territory, there is the junction of three rivers – Bassac , Mekong and Tonle Sap . At the beginning of the 15th century, the king of Cambodia decided to establish a new capital and chose Phnom Penh. According to available data, Phnom Penh gained an official city status in 1432 and had been a capital of the kingdom for more than 70 years. At the beginning of the 16th century, the city lost this significant status and restored it only in 1866.
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