Home

Baray

Baray refers to a large, artificial water reservoir built by the Khmer Empire in the Angkor region of present-day Cambodia. The term baray denotes a man-made basin enclosed by earthen dikes and fed by canals and sluices, designed to store and manage water for irrigation and flood control across a monsoon-dominated landscape.

Barays were integral to the Khmer hydraulic city system, supporting extensive rice agriculture during the dry

The best known examples are the East Baray and West Baray, large rectangular reservoirs situated near Angkor

Today, the barays survive as monumental ruins and are recognized as major remnants of Angkor's hydraulic infrastructure.

season
and
helping
regulate
water
during
the
annual
floods.
They
reflect
advanced
earthworks,
water
management,
and
landscape
planning,
including
alignments
with
temple
complexes
and
other
features
of
Angkor.
and
the
town
of
Siem
Reap.
They
were
constructed
during
the
height
of
the
Khmer
Empire,
roughly
between
the
9th
and
13th
centuries
CE,
and
formerly
held
vast
volumes
of
water,
featuring
long
embankments
and
water-control
structures
to
regulate
intake
and
discharge.
The
West
Baray
remains
a
prominent
feature
in
the
landscape
around
Angkor,
while
the
East
Baray
is
heavily
silted
and
largely
dry
in
many
seasons.
The
barays,
alongside
other
hydraulic
works,
contributed
to
the
urban
and
agricultural
capacity
of
Angkor
and
are
frequently
cited
in
discussions
of
Khmer
engineering.
Angkor
is
a
UNESCO
World
Heritage
Site,
with
the
barays
as
key
components
of
its
historical
landscape.