APSARA Bars Inaccurate 'Ancient Khmer' Costumes from Angkor Park

Visitors wearing inaccurately designed “ancient Khmer” costumes that fail to follow traditional cultural standards will no longer be permitted to enter Angkor, after experts determined that as many as 70 per cent of the rental outfits available in front of Angkor Wat stray from authentic Khmer styles. The measure, effective from July 13, marks a tightening of cultural standards at the Angkor Archaeological Park following repeated criticism of modified “traditional” costumes which experts say distort historical Khmer dress and increasingly incorporate fabrics and jewellery imported from Thailand. The APSARA National Authority(ANA) announced the restriction after its officials, together with the Siem Reap provincial Department of Culture and Fine Arts, local authorities and Heritage Protection Police, met costume rental vendors serving tourists at Angkor on July 13. Chan Sophorn, an official from the sculpture office of the provincial culture department and a specialist in ancient Khmer clothing, said about 70 per cent of the rental costumes available for tourists to pose for photographs in front of Angkor Wat differ from their original forms. He singled out the use of fabrics and jewellery imported from Thailand as a particular concern, describing the practice as a departure from Khmer national and cultural identity and one which effectively promotes foreign culture. “Ancient Khmer-style clothing must use Khmer fabrics and jewellery, and no costume should be modified in a way that departs from Khmer traditions and standards,” he said. Sophorn explained that clothing and personal adornment in ancient Khmer society followed clearly defined conventions according to social rank, from kings and queens to wealthy citizens and ordinary people. Silk hol garments, for example, were used for kings and queens, while particular woven fabrics were associated with wealthy or high-status citizens. Cotton textiles were generally worn by ordinary people. The inappropriate combination of fabrics, jewellery and decorative styles without regard to historical status and dress conventions has contributed to costumes marketed as “ancient Khmer” losing the accuracy of their original identity, according to Sophorn. He encouraged rental vendors to gradually shift towards the use of Khmer hol and silk fabrics, traditional woven textiles and locally crafted jewellery. Such a transition, he said, would not only help preserve traditional Khmer clothing but also increase the value of the work of Cambodian weavers and goldsmiths who continue to preserve traditional craftsmanship. Tes Sothy, deputy director of ANA’s Department of Tourism Development and Culture, noted that inaccurate rental costumes in the Angkor area had drawn repeated public criticism and caused significant harm to the value of Khmer culture. The ANA and the culture department have called on rental businesses to gradually reduce and eventually completely stop using foreign fabrics, particularly cheaper textiles imported from Thailand. Under the new measure, ancient-style costumes which have been modified away from original Khmer forms, do not follow proper traditional conventions or significantly depart from authentic styles will no longer be allowed inside Angkor from July 13. Rental vendors have been given a longer transition period, with their use required to end permanently by January 2027. The measure comes as traditional costume rental services for photography have become an increasingly visible part of the tourist experience at Angkor Wat. Images of visitors dressed in outfits promoted as “ancient Khmer costumes” are widely shared on social media and international travel platforms. For cultural officials, the move is not intended to discourage visitors from wearing Khmer clothing or taking photographs at Angkor. Instead, the restrictions are aimed at ensuring that costumes displayed at Cambodia’s most prominent heritage site accurately reflect Khmer cultural identity and historical traditions. With Angkor serving as one of Cambodia’s most recognisable symbols internationally, officials argue that the way Khmer history and culture are visually represented to millions of visitors – and subsequently through images circulated around the world – carries significance beyond a tourist photograph. The new rules place the responsibility not only on visitors, but also on rental vendors to ensure that what is presented as “ancient Khmer” at Angkor is, in fact, recognisably and authentically Khmer.