Wat Preah Keo Morakot and its silver floor at Phnom Penh’s Royal Palace
Published on 08/26/2026 at 12:15 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Wat Preah Keo Morakot in Phnom Penh, widely known in English as the Silver Pagoda, is the royal temple embedded within Cambodia’s Royal Palace compound and distinguished by a ceremonial hall paved with silver tiles and a central emerald-hued Buddha image.Silver Pagoda
Royal chapel within the palace grounds
Wat Preah Keo Morakot stands in the southern section of the Royal Palace complex in central Phnom Penh, on the palace side facing Samdech Sothearos Boulevard, close to the meeting point of the Tonlé Sap and Mekong rivers.Royal Palace complex in Phnom Penh The temple functions as the royal chapel, a site reserved for monarchs and court ceremonies rather than for a resident monastic community.royal chapel for Cambodia’s kings
The official Khmer name of the shrine complex is Wat Preah Keo Morakot, sometimes rendered as Preah Vihear Preah Keo Morakot, which translates as “Temple of the Emerald Buddha” and refers to the principal image in the main hall.Temple of the Emerald Buddha In English, however, the place is commonly called the Silver Pagoda in reference to the silver tiles that cover the interior floor, a label now closely associated with the Phnom Penh palace compound.Silver Pagoda name
From wooden temple to twentieth-century rebuilding
The present Wat Preah Keo Morakot belongs to the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, a period when Phnom Penh developed as Cambodia’s royal and administrative centre.Royal Palace compound The royal temple on this site is traditionally dated to the late nineteenth century during the reign of King Norodom, when a wooden hall was erected as a place for the monarch to attend Buddhist ceremonies and hear sermons.wooden hall in 1892
In the twentieth century the building was rebuilt in more durable materials, a process completed in the early 1960s, giving Wat Preah Keo Morakot the concrete and masonry structure seen on the palace grounds today.reconstructed in 1962 Architecturally, the temple combines Khmer decorative forms with a formal, symmetrical plan suitable for state rituals, aligning its main hall with the broader ceremonial axis of the Royal Palace.
Silver floor and sacred images
The feature that gives Wat Preah Keo Morakot its English name is the temple floor, covered by thousands of silver tiles laid across the interior of the main hall, with a combined weight measured in tonnes.floor covered with silver Some accounts describe more than 5,000 individual silver tiles, and visitors who are allowed into the hall can see sections of the metal surface where protective coverings are lifted.over 5,000 silver tiles
At the centre of the hall stands the principal Buddha image that gives Wat Preah Keo Morakot its name, a statue carved in an emerald-coloured material and set on an elevated altar surrounded by other devotional objects.emerald-hued Buddha image Around it the hall contains additional statues, including a life-sized figure in gold and other precious materials, as well as royal gifts and regalia that underline the temple’s role as a treasury of Cambodian Buddhist art.royal gifts and regalia
Visiting Wat Preah Keo Morakot: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- Wat Preah Keo Morakot lies within the Royal Palace compound in central Phnom Penh, on the south side of the complex along Samdech Sothearos Boulevard near the junction of the Tonlé Sap and Mekong rivers.
- Access to the temple involves walking through palace courtyards and climbing a set of steps to reach the main hall, with footwear removed before entering the interior.
- The official language of Cambodia is Khmer and the currency is the Cambodian riel.
- Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
Searching for Wat Preah Keo Morakot on social platforms
These links open searches for Wat Preah Keo Morakot on each platform.Frequently asked questions about Wat Preah Keo Morakot
Where is Wat Preah Keo Morakot located?
Wat Preah Keo Morakot is situated within the Royal Palace compound in central Phnom Penh, in the southern section of the grounds along Samdech Sothearos Boulevard near the city’s riverfront.
What should visitors expect on a visit?
Visitors can expect palace courtyards leading to a temple hall with an interior floor covered by silver tiles and an emerald-coloured Buddha image at its centre, along with other royal devotional objects.
What makes Wat Preah Keo Morakot distinctive?
The combination of its role as Cambodia’s royal chapel, its silver-tiled floor and the central emerald-hued Buddha statue gives Wat Preah Keo Morakot a distinctive character among palace temples in Southeast Asia.
