National Museum of Cambodia and UNESCO inaugurate “Our Common Heritage: Exploring World Heritage Sites of Cambodia, Laos and Viet Nam”

The National Museum of Cambodia, founded in 1920, possesses one of the world's greatest collections of Khmer artefacts. They include sculpture, ceramics and ethnographic objects from the prehistoric, pre-Angkorian, Angkorian and post-Angkorian periods.

As an active member of the UNESCO/Japanese-Funds-in-Trust project “Revitalising World Heritage Site Museums in Cambodia, Laos and Viet Nam”, the Museum will open the joint sub-regional exhibition dedicated to the interconnection of the World Heritage Sites (Angkor, Preah Vihear, Vat Phou, My Son, Thang Long Citadel and Ho Citadel) on 19 February 2013 and will host education programmes related to this exhibition until June 2013 for young people’s appreciation of their history and heritage.

The exhibition of the National Museum will also present a particular aspect of Khmer culture which is still alive: Kbach. They are the ornamentation motifs of flower, vine, flame, lotus petals, bamboo-shoot or water-buffalo teeth, used to decorate objects and architectural elements throughout Cambodia, and people have long drawn these motifs from the environment and social life - from the Angkorian period to today.

The Khmer people have continued using this artistic legacy for the ornamentation of everyday objects, houses, monuments, in addition to public and religious buildings.

The Kbach is indeed accompanying the life of Khmer people from birth to death, at every important phase such as adulthood and marriage.