Ancient staircase to nowhere found in Cambodia

An ancient staircase was recently discovered in Cambodia within the Phnom Kulen mountain range north of Angkor Wat. This rather unusual staircase, seemingly leads to nowhere. (at least in our modern times) Perhaps it had a great purpose when it was originally constructed. After this amazing discovery, more was revealed than previously thought.

Now, the mountain itself, is being looked upon as an additional UNESCO World Heritage Site. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization considers these areas of the world to be sacred.

Officially, they will become landmarks or designated areas—for preservation and distinctive research to be performed. These specific sites, have a cultural, historical, scientific or some other form of significance to them. The locations are legally protected by international treaties as well as being important to the collective interests of humanity.

The location in Cambodia, also contains several shrines nearby—where the staircase rests and various Buddha statues which have been discovered here as well. This massive staircase to nowhere, was carved from the red rock of the mountain. The estimated length of the staircase (which can be visually seen so far) is 1804.46 feet in length. (550 meters)

This staircase has a unique design to it. Being interspersed with several flat areas, they were thought to be used as resting spots with water sources available to climbers and laborers. The archaeological crew on the scene, have yet to determine a date from its original construction. Perhaps more information will manifest itself as time passes by.

The local villagers mention that their ancestors spoke about this staircase. However, nobody knows for sure why it was constructed and when. Speculation about otherworldly visitors comes into place. Maybe another species helped to build or instructed the people of this time—to make this staircase for communication purposes.

The sheer size and scale of this project was massive. It took a tremendous amount of coordination and labor to accomplish this. Archaeologist Jean-Baptiste Chevance, mentioned how much social organization had to take place for this project. It is rather astounding to think about. One of the best thought out theories about this staircase is—that it led to the ancient city of Mahendraparvata.

From aerial photography, recent discovery reveals that the lost city is more massive than previously thought. It is believed to be within the Khmer Empire time period. This stronghold dates back to the ninth century. Officially known as the Angkor Empire, the predecessor state to modern day Cambodia, it once was a powerful Hindu-Buddhist empire located in the Southeast.

The Archaeologists working on this project, want to preserve it. However, in recent times—logging operations threaten to damage the site and its surroundings. Many of the locals nearby, encourage this site to become a tourist attraction to help boost the economy here. One thing is for sure, it took a remarkable level of urban planning and sophistication to create this staircase.

(Source: Mysterious Universe)