PHNOM PENH, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's APSARA National Authority (ANA) archaeologists have started to restore parts of ruined Trapeang Phong temple in the famed Angkor Archaeological Park in northwest Siem Reap province, said an ANA's news release on Tuesday.

Trapeang Phong temple is a brick temple located just three kilometers from Bakong temple in Kok Srok village of Prasat Bakong district's Rolous commune.

The temple was built in the middle of the ninth century by King Jayavarman III and was dedicated to Hinduism. Under the impacts of weather conditions, age and human, this temple has become very dilapidated.

Archaeologist Saray Kim Huol, head of the ANA's Rolous conservation site, emphasized the urgency of the restoration efforts, saying that the team would begin work from the foundation and proceed to the top of the temple.

"The restoration project is divided into two phases," he said. "The first phase is focused on repairing the western part of the temple, while the second phase will address the eastern, southern and northern sections."

He said Trapeang Phong temple features five towers, a library and a moat, with decorative elements including lintels, stairs and door frames made of sandstone.

"Unfortunately, some bricks from the eastern section have already disappeared, prompting our conservation team to act swiftly and with great care to preserve this historical site," Kim Huol said.

Trapeang Phong is a single brick temple which is 7-meter-by-7-meter in size and 16 meters in height.

It is one of the ancient temples in the Angkor Archaeological Park, which was inscribed on the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1992.

The 401-square km Angkor Archaeological Park is the most popular tourist destination in the Southeast Asian nation. Enditem

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