Provided by the Royal Government of CambodiaThe Cambodian government held a ceremony on November 4, 2023 to inaugurate Ang-kor Wat’s Western Causeway. The ceremony marked the completion of the project led by Dr.Yoshiaki Ishizawa, former President of Sophia University and head of the Sophia Asia Center for Research and Human Development, to both restore the 200-meter-long Western Causeway and train Cambodian archaeological conservators. The project’s completion coin-cided with the celebration of 70 years of diplomatic relations between Cambodia and Japan.The ceremony was attended by King Norodom Sihamoni, Prime Min-ister Hun Manet, former Prime Minister Hun Sen, Culture and Fine Arts Minister Phoeung Sakona, other government ministers and offi-cials and Hang Peou, Director General of the Authority for the Protec-tion of the Site and Management of the Region of Angkor (APSARA National Authority). Fr. Sali Augustine, S.J., Chancellor of Sophia School Corporation, and Ishizawa were also in attendance. In his remarks, Ishizawa spoke of Sophia’s mission to foster interna-tional collaboration for the “restoration project for and by the Cam-bodian people.” He also informed King Sihamoni of Sophia’s efforts to train archaeological conservators to restore archaeological sites. He said, “Above all, I would like to express my gratitude and respect to Cambodia for everything it has taught me, including the country’s challenges related to water and stone, its approaches to conservation and restoration, and the magnificent history of the Angkor dynasty.”King Sihamoni conferred medals to Sophia and APSARA representatives who contrib-uted to the project. “I am grateful to Dr. Ishizawa and others for their efforts to sustain-ably conserve archaeological sites and fos-ter archaeological conservators,” the King said. The commemoration concluded with a ribbon-cutting ceremony headed by the King, followed by an inaugural crossing of the Western Causeway. Sophia, in collaboration with APSARA, will continue to support the regular main-tenance of the Western Causeway and the training of Cambodian archaeological site conservators. Angkor Wat World Heritage Site Western Causeway Inauguration CeremonyCAMPUSNEWS
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