Page "Angkor" Paragraph 18

It is widely believed that the abandonment of the Khmer capital occurred as a result of Ayutthaya invasions.

Ongoing wars with the Siamese were already sapping the strength of Angkor at the time of Zhou Daguan toward the end of the 13th century.

In his memoirs, Zhou reported that the country had been completely devastated by such a war, in which the entire population had been obligated to participate.

After the collapse of Angkor in 1431, many persons, texts and institutions were taken to the Ayutthaya capital of Ayutthaya in the west, while others departed for the new center of Khmer society at Longvek further south, though the official capital later moved, first to Oudong around from Phnom Penh in Ponhea Leu District, and then to the present site of Phnom Penh.