Two Cambodian Cultural Preservation Projects Received US Funding in 2006

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The Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation has announced awards totaling nearly $55,000 for two Cambodian cultural preservation projects: "Heritage Management at Prasat Han Chey" to be implemented by...

PR Log (Press Release) – Mar 04, 2010 – The Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation has announced awards totaling nearly $55,000 for two Cambodian cultural preservation projects: "Heritage Management at Prasat Han Chey" to be implemented by the Cambodian Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and "Cheung Ek Circular Earthwork Archaeological and Cultural Resource Management Investigations" to be implemented by the Royal Academy of Fine Arts.

The fund selects preservation projects based on urgency, impact and quality of the proposal. As its name indicates, the proposals come from U.S. ambassadors throughout the world. In 2006 ECA’s Cultural Heritage Center, which administers the program, received 164 proposals and awarded grants to 87 projects in 76 countries, making Cambodia one of only a few select countries to receive funding for two projects.

The signing ceremony for the two grants was held at Prasat Han Chey in Kompong Cham province. Ambassador Mussomeli signed both grants on behalf of the U.S. government. His Highness Prince Sisowath Panara Sirivuth, Minister of Culture and Fine Arts, signed the agreement on behalf of the Ministry of Culture for the Prasat Han Chey project, while Phon Kaseka, Project Director for the Cheung Ek program, signed on behalf of the Royal Academy of Cambodia.

In his remarks Ambassador Mussomeli said, "The importance of the past is sometimes forgotten in the rush of everyday life. But the past is crucial to our future….The U.S. is committed to the protection of Cambodia’s heritage, and these two grants represent just one aspect of my country's assistance to Cambodia in this endeavor."

The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, with $45,015 in support from the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation, will initiate the Heritage Management Project to save Prasat Han Chey temple. The project has three aspects: maintenance, restoration, and raising public awareness. The Heritage Management Project at Prasat Han Chey will be the first collaboration between the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh.

Prasat Han Chey, a group of temples made of brick, sandstone, and basalt, is located approximately 20 kilometers north of Kampong Cham town. The temples (Prasat is the Khmer word for "temple") were built near the end of the 6th century A.D. and are some of the earliest know surviving temples in Cambodia. The Prasat Han Chey temple group is dedicated to the Hindu gods. In a global and academic context, this group is significant because it is a rare example of temple construction from the early Chenla Period (6th century A.D.). Very few examples of construction remain from this time period, so Prasat Han Chay affords researchers important insights into art, culture and life during this crucial period in the development of the great Angkorian Empire.

With $9,553 in support from the Ambassador's Fund, the Royal Academy of Cambodia will undertake research concerning the potential destruction of circular earthwork formations and other archaeological sites at Cheung Ek, Cambodia. Recently, a large circular earthwork site has been recognized in the Cheung Ek site, five kilometers south of Phnom Penh. Cheung Ek is more popularly known as the "killing fields" site, although the archaeological evidence clearly demonstrates that is was an important habitation, commercial and production area in historic and prehistoric times. To date, however, this site has not been professionally surveyed and recorded in detail. This proposal includes academic research, training, public education and cultural resource management (CRM). This is a scientifically and culturally important site, unique in Southeast Asia. The site is in imminent danger of destruction and is therefore in need of immediate attention.

The U.S. Congress established the Ambassador's Fund in 2001, directing the State Department to set aside $1 million to assist countries in preserving their cultural heritage. The funding level has increased each year and is now at $3 million. Since its inception, the program has awarded 379 preservation grants in 108 countries.