Silver Palace Phnom Penh. Magnet

Image by Otto Stadler Getty Images Within the Royal Palace compound is the extravagant Silver Pagoda, also known as Wat Preah Keo or Temple of the Emerald Buddha. It is so named for its floor, which is covered with five tons of gleaming silver. You can take a peek at some of the 5000 tiles near the entrance, but most are covered to protect them. The pagoda was originally constructed of wood in 1892 during the rule of King Norodom, who was apparently inspired by Bangkok’s Wat Phra Kaew, and was rebuilt in 1962. It was preserved by the Khmer Rouge to demonstrate its concern for the conservation of Cambodia’s cultural riches. Although more than half of the pagoda’s contents were lost, stolen or destroyed in the turmoil that followed the...