Angkor Thom is in fact a city (The Great City). In it's prime, this area was home to hundreds of thousands of people. The city is surrounded by a perfectly square wall, 3 kilometers on each side. There are 5 enormous entrance gates into Angkor Thom, North, South, East, West and the Victory Gate. The size of these gates has to be seen to be believed. The South Gate is the most common approach as it is closest to Angkor Wat.
At the centre of Angkor Thom is the Bayon Temple. This temple contains one of the most enduring images of Angkor, the smiling faces. While it is commonly believed these faces are of the Buddha, many people now believe they represent King Jayavarman VII. Also in this temple are more bas relief carvings.
Other major sites within Angkor Thom are Phimeanakas (the king's own temple, where it is believed he met nightly with Naguy the snake queen), the Terrace of the Leper King and the Terrace of the Elephants, where returning armies were greeted by the king.
