Khao Phra Wihan National Park
| Khao Phra Wihan National Park | |
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| อุทยานแห่งชาติเขาพระวิหาร | |
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IUCN category II (national park)
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Mo view from Pha Mo I Daeng Stairway
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 Location within Thailand
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| Location | Kantharalak District, Thailand |
| Nearest city | Sisaket (town) |
| Coordinates | 14°26′42.25″N 104°43′58.52″E / 14.4450694°N 104.7329222°ECoordinates: 14°26′42.25″N 104°43′58.52″E / 14.4450694°N 104.7329222°E |
| Area | 130 km² |
| Established | 1998 |
| Visitors | 712,515 (in 2006) |
| Governing body | National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department |
Khao Phra Wihan National Park (Thai: อุทยานแห่งชาติเขาพระวิหาร) is a protected natural area in Sisaket Province, Thailand, that contains numerous ruins of the 11th century Khmer Empire. The park lies 98 km (61 mi) south of the town of Sisaket, at the end of Thai highway 221. Sited on a red stone cliff that is part of the Dangrek mountain range on the southern edge of the Khorat Plateau, it abuts the international border between Thailand's Sisaket Province and Cambodia's Preah Vihear Province. The name of the cliff in the Royal Thai General System of Transcription is Pha Mo I Daeng (ผามออีแดง).
The park atop Pha Mo I Daeng is the Thai gateway to ruins associated with the temple of Prasat Preah Vihear, and is generally open to everyone upon payment of entrance fees. When relations between the two countries are normal, the temple ruins are also accessible from the Thai side. Both sides charge additional entrance fees for such access, but Cambodia does not require visas. Access from the Cambodian side is to the temple ruins only. The International Court of Justice awarded the temple ruins to Cambodia in 1962, but these are located in an area of 4.6 km² that Thailand still claims. Nevertheless, in 2008 the World Heritage Committee's 32nd Session listed the Temple of Preah Vihear as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which prompted an armed dispute.
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Wikipedia