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For the past thirty years, the Bayon Temple of Angkor Thom has been the centrepiece of an ambitious conservation and restoration initiative, realised through the concerted efforts of UNESCO, Japan, and Cambodia.

With its labyrinthic structure, intricate decorative apparatus, and monumental face-towers, the Bayon constitutes a unicum amongst the rich landscape of monuments of the World Heritage Site of Angkor. Constructed between the 12^th and 13^th century, it represents one of the earliest places of worship for Buddhism in Cambodia, a role which it holds to this day, as one of the primary sites of pilgrimage in the country.

Since 1994, the “Safeguarding the Bayon Temple of Angkor Thom” project, launched with the support of the Japanese Funds-in-Trust, under the technical guidance of the Waseda University, and in close collaboration with the APSARA National Authority, has made crucial contributions to ensure the consolidation, restoration, and sustainable development of the structures of Angkor Thom, preserving the site’s outstanding cultural, historical, and religious significance for future generations.

This initiative, characterized by constant multidisciplinary research, intercultural dialogue, and free-flow of ideas between the Japanese and Cambodian teams, represents an exemplary model of heritage preservation, which prompted the development of innovative approaches to conservation, blending traditional methods with cutting-edge technologies, carrying out groundbreaking research on the history and enigmatic symbolism of the temple structure, and placing the site of Bayon at the forefront of the field of heritage restoration, analysis, and management worldwide.

The collaborative and dynamic environment that characterized this project, which in 2005 inspired the creation of the Japan-APSARA team for the Safeguard of Angkor, was instrumental in enhancing the capacities, skills, and knowledge of Cambodian heritage experts and workers, contributing to the efforts to safeguard not only sites within the Angkor Archaeological Park, but all over the country.

The long history of this project represents a testament to the unique prerogative of cultural heritage to foster intercultural dialogue, mutual understanding, and sustainable development, encapsulating the values of the UNESCO 1972 World Heritage Convention, which envisions the preservation of the heritage of mankind as a collective responsibility.