Angkor Thom was built in the late 12th century by King Jayavarman VII. It was the centre of a huge building programme instigated by the King. However, King Jayavarman VII didn’t build the first structures found at Angkor Thom; some structures were built a few centuries before.

Angkor Thom overlaps part of the previous capital city of the Khmer Empire was called Yasodharapura. King Jayavarman VII extended some of the previous structures and built some new temples.

The last known structure to have been build inside Angkor Thom was Mangalartha which is located about 300m away from the Victory Gate. Although built during the reign of King Jayavarman VII, it’s unknown exactly when it was completed. The small temple was dedicated to Vishnu, the Hindu God, in the year 1295.

Angkor Thom was sacked by the invading Ayutthaya Kingdom from Siam (nowadays Thailand) in the late 14th century and the city was abandoned sometime after this date.

It’s not known exactly when it was abandoned, but it was before 1609 when a western visitor documented and wrote about a great uninhabited city.

The name Angkor Thom was first used in the 16th century. Before this time, the Khmer people would simply use the name Yashodharapura as they didn’t have any clear distinction between the old and new capital cities.