It took half a century for the archaeologists in Cambodia to repair the ancient temple complex of Angkor, which is a large three-dimensional puzzle in the world. Thorough repairs and diligent work in Hindu temple Baphuon, located on campus, were periodically interrupted because of tropical rains and the Civil War, thus the reconstruction has lasted for several decades. "When I first saw how devastated the monument was, I never thought we would be able to put it back together," said Cambodian restorer Ieng Te, who joined the project as a young student in 1960.

The temple was reopened to the public in early July, finally being as large as life. Cambodian King Sihamoni and Prime Minister Francois Fillon took part at the opening ceremony of a three-level temple on July 3 this year. Reconstruction began in 1960 when the French team of archaeologists pyramidal pyramid buildings, which were broken in pieces. At that time 300 workers were involved in the restoration, but all work was stopped in 1970 when the civil war broke out in the country. The plan for the restoration of the temple was done away by Khmer Rouge, who came to power in 1975.

Only in 1995, when the area in the northwest of Cambodia became safe again for restoration work, French government resumed work within the framework of the project under the guidance of architect Pascal Royer. Architects measured and weighed thoroughly each block, and were guided by archival photographs, stored in Paris and recollections of Cambodian workers in order to determine the compliance with the dismantled parts.

"We were facing a three-dimensional puzzle, a 300,000-piece puzzle to which we had lost the picture. And that was the main difficulty of this project," Royere said. "There is no mortar that fills the cracks which means that each stone has its own place. You will not find two blocks that have the same dimensions." Baphuon Temple was built in 1060 in honor of the Hindu god Shiva and became the largest religious site in the country at that time. In the 16th century, a seventy-meter statue of Buddha was built into the wall on the second level of the temple.

These two phases of construction, which are separated from each other by several centuries, complicate restoration work. The temple is located in the heart of Angkor, and is certainly the most beautiful and interesting sight in the country's culture.