BANTEAY CHHMAR, CAMBODIA PROJECT COMPLETION REPORT,

Transcription

1 BEYOND MONUMENTS BANTEAY CHHMAR, CAMBODIA PROJECT COMPLETION REPORT, BANTEAY CHHMAR, CAMBODIA A restored facetower in the temple precincts of Banteay Chhmar. Craig Stennett/Global Heritage Fund

2 BANTEAY CHHMAR, THE CITADEL OF CATS, was the greatest of its day among the shining jewels of the Khmer Kingdom s Angkorian Period. The temple compound of King Jayavaranam built in the 12th century AD, Banteay Chhmar is a dazzling tale of imperial splendor set amongst the tangled vines and thick jungles of Cambodia s wild north. POPULATION 13,562, as of SETTLEMENTS 14 VILLAGES POVERTY INDEX 23% Banteay Mancheay, as of 216* GDP PER CAPITA $1,6.84, as of 213* *Multidimensional Poverty Index 216 *World Bank King Jayavarman VII built Banteay Chhmar at the end of the 12th century. Following similar grandiose temple plans throughout Angkor, it was to be the jewel in the king s already lavish crown: a one-kilometer arcaded enclosure wall surrounded the temple, carved with detailed bas-reliefs telling the story of the Ancient Khmer, depicting royal processions and battles, and festooned with multiple, exquisitely detailed images of the multi-armed boddhisattva, Avalokiteshvara. However, lacking any conservation efforts for more than 8 years before GHF s intervention, what human hands have not destroyed is being consumed by the surrounding jungle. The inner temple complex has slowly collapsed and disintegrated its proud towers and awesome temples disappearing into the overgrowth while the outer sections have fallen victim to floral overgrowth or encroachment from the nearby villages. Systemic structural instability brought about by the encroaching jungle and human intervention now threatens to topple what remains of the standing architecture, endangering both the heritage of the site and the few tourists who visit it. OCCUPATIONS MAINLY SUBSISTENCE FARMING FISHING TOURISM

3 THE PROJECT AT BANTEAY CHHMAR began in 27 and took place under the aegis of a letter of intent issued by the acting Minister of Culture and Fine Arts (MCFA), Secretary of State HE Chuch Phoeurn. This partnership developed through a close collaboration between GHF s heritage professionals and their counterparts in the Kingdom. MASTER PLANNING SCIENCE GHFs Master Planning provided Banteay Chhmar a long-term balance between conservation, access, economic development, and the interests of the local community. There were numerous monumental structures that were in need of scientific preservation and stabilization. With the help of our local staff and partners, we achieved the following successes at Banteay Chhmar: METHODOLOGY: PRESERVATION BY DESIGN PLANNING AND DESIGN SCIENTIFIC Conservation of SE Sector bas reliefs Reassembly of ~7% of the vertical sections of SE Sector Clearing of fallen stone from the SE Sector Stabilization and restoration of Face Tower 18N Scanning, sampling, and testing of stone blocks at Face Tower 18 with the University of Heidelberg and local partners Emergency propping for sections of the temple complex Removal of trees affecting structural stability Development of proposals for water management in the moat Global Heritage Fund used its rigorous methodology, Preservation by Design, in its project at Banteay Chhmar. As the program developed, experts were included to strategically address the complex multi-disciplinary issues involved in the planning and implement of a conservation program on a site as complex as the Temple of Banteay Chhmar. PARTNERSHIPS COMMUNITY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIPS With this project, we directly invested in multiple outreach programs for the local community.: 41 local community members now employed at site Training workshops guiding locals on conservation and site management Foundation of the Community-Based Tourism Board (CBT) 83 local community members employed with the CBT Visitor Center constructed in traditional style and managed by the CBT CBT recognized both as a tax exempt organisation and as a stakeholder by the Ministry of Tourism KEY METRICS UNIVERSITY OF HEIDELBERG UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY BRITISH EMBASSY CAMBODIA USAID CAMBODIAN GOVERNMENT CAMBODIAN MINISTRY OF CULTURE $8, DIRECT GHF INVESTMENT 5 PEOPLE EMPLOYED 6 PEOPLE TRAINED ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE OF AMERICA PRINCE CLAUS FUND BANTEAY CHHMAR CBT FRIENDS OF KHMER CULTURE HERITAGE WATCH GREEN ERA TRAVEL

4 QUANTITATIVE METRICS TOURISM NUMBERS AVERAGE TOURIST SPEND (USD) CBT REVENUE VS. GHF FUNDING CBT MEMBERSHIP , , , 3, 2, 1, CBT GHF HOMESTAYS ARE GROWING TOURISM IS TOURIST SPEND IS CBT REVENUE IS CBT MEMBERSHIP IS CBT IS NOT YET SELF-SUFFICIENT Nine homestays have been established in the villages surrounding the site, offering 3 rooms for 25-5 visitors per night. As tourism increases, the number of homestays is also increasing to keep pace. From to 216, tourism numbers have risen from 744 to 1575, an increase of 112 percent. This increase has brought about a shift in the local economy from subsistence to tourism, including English-language guiding and homestays. In the same period of time, each tourist has gone from spending an average of $7.5 per visit to $34.49 per visit, an increase of 36 pecent. Increased tourist spend has meant an overall increase in revenue for the CBT, which has grown from under $1, per year to over $5, from to 216. Membership has almost doubled since from 43 persons to 83. As the CBT continues to prove a viable economic alternative to the subsistence lifestyle, more and more villagers are joining to reap the economic rewards. Despite its successes, the CBT has not turned a profit since its foundation. However, as GHF draws down its investments, the CBT is taking on more responsibility for its finances and operating costs.

5 QUALITATIVE METRICS SCIENTIFIC Scientific research conducted at Banteay Chhmar included Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR); 3D scanning of stone blocks in ; and sampling and testing of the stones via ionic chromatography, SEM analysis, optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction. SCIENCE HYDROL OG Y The situation at Tower 18 becoming critical, GHF began an intervention program with the conclusion of its activities at the SE Gallery. The tower was completely dismantled, restored, and then reassembled. FAC E T O FACE TOWER 18 N GHF promoted extensive training of staff at Banteay Chhmar. including the training of technicians in state-of-the-art documentation techniques and stone conservation, perhaps the first fully Khmer conservation training operation in Cambodia. A foundation stone of sustainable development, GHF s training program has had a long-term impact on the site, which benefits from the year-long presence of trained technicians, and local community, whose members have shared the expertise they gained in cutting-edge conservation by contributing to Ministry of Culture projects throughout the country. B A S ER W ING AIN TR The hydrological survey of the site, carried out in, was aimed at understanding the ancient water supply system but also at helping to understand how, in this particularly arid region, sustainable water supplies could be enhanced and made available to the local community. F LIE RE HYDROLOGY TRAINING PROGRAMS BAS RELIEF The first major intervention was carried out on the SE Gallery relief and involved primary documentation by hand followed by 3D modeling, structural planning, preliminary consolidation, dismantling, and finally consolidation and reassembly.

6 GLOBALHERITAGEFUND.ORG Global Heritage preserves the Fund most sustainably significant and endangered cultural heritage sites in regions of economic need. We believe heritage has value that s far beyond monuments. We envision a world where communities are empowered to view their heritage as precious, appreciate it as a fount of inspiration, and protect it as a pillar of the past and an enhancement to the future. GLOBAL HERITAGE FUND US 22 Montgomery Street, Suite 12 San Francisco, CA 9414 United States of America GLOBAL HERITAGE FUND UK 1 Knightsbridge Green, 9th Floor London, SW1X 9QA United Kingdom BANTEAY CHHMAR, CAMBODIA A detail from the bas reliefs on the SE Gallery. Craig Stennett/Global Heritage Fund GLOBAL HERITAGE FUND HK 4/F, 5/F, & 162, Central Tower 28 Queen s Road Central Hong Kong #BEYONDMONUMENTS