The memorial stupa was built with a base design inspired by traditional Khmer architecture to house recovered human remains.
The 'Magic Tree' on the property was used by soldiers as a location to hang loudspeakers to drown out the sounds of executions.
During the rainy season, it is still common to find human teeth and clothing scraps surfacing from the ground at the site.
The site was a longan orchard before it was repurposed as an extermination camp by the Khmer Rouge.
The audio tour is narrated by survivors of the genocide, providing firsthand accounts of the events that occurred at the site.
Over 80 mass graves have been identified at this location, though not all have been excavated to preserve the integrity of the site.
Choeung Ek is the most prominent of the sites known as the Killing Fields, where the Khmer Rouge regime executed and buried an estimated 17,000 victims between 1975 and 1979. The site features a central Buddhist memorial stupa constructed in 1988, which contains the skulls and bones of over 5,000 victims recovered from mass graves. Walking paths wind through the area, exposing preserved mass graves, bone fragments, and clothing remnants that continue to surface from the soil after heavy rains. The site serves as a memorial to the Cambodian genocide, utilizing an audio tour to provide historical context for the specific areas of execution and detention. It is situated roughly 15 kilometers south of central Phnom Penh. The center is preserved as a museum to educate visitors on the atrocities committed during the Democratic Kampuchea period.
The exterior of the Memorial Stupa from a distance to capture the structure in its setting.
Download or rent the official audio guide; it is essential for understanding the context of the burial pits and site history.
Walk slowly and follow the designated paths, as the site is an active memorial and burial ground.
Bring a hat and water, as most of the memorial site is outdoors with minimal shade.
Avoid taking selfies or using loud, expressive language near the grave sites, as it is considered deeply disrespectful to the victims.
Dress modestly by covering shoulders and knees; speak in low, respectful tones; avoid taking photographs of human remains inside the stupa.
