Built between the ninth and 13th centuries by a succession of 12 Khmer kings using money gained from rice and trade, the mysterious ruins of Angkor spread over 310 square km in Southeast Asia. Yet, due to war, many of these beautiful monuments were inaccessible until recently.
Undaunted by the challenges of the terrain, photographer Jon Ortner, who has a passion for photographing Hindu and Buddhist monuments and traditions in the Himalayas and Southeast Asia, made the journey through Thailand to Cambodia to capture 50 of the most important and unique monuments. They range from the famous like Angkor Wat (the world's largest complex sacred structure) to obscure buildings such as Preah Vihear, which sits precariously on the edge of a cliff; Ta Prohm, which is half engulfed by jungle; and Bayon, in which 200 enormous faces are carved into towers.