Wat Preah Keo Morakot and its silver floor in Phnom Penh
Published on 09/07/2026 at 18:58 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Wat Preah Keo Morakot in Phnom Penh is better known in English as the Silver Pagoda. Inside the Royal Palace compound, it combines a royal chapel setting with a floor surfaced in silver tiles and a shrine to an emerald-coloured Buddha image.
Wat Preah Keo Morakot and the Royal Palace compound
The temple stands on the south side of the Royal Palace in central Phnom Penh, along Samdech Sothearos Boulevard. Its Khmer name is Wat Preah Keo Morakot, and the English name reflects the silver floor inside the main hall.
The site belongs to Cambodia’s royal ceremonial landscape and is linked to King Norodom in the late nineteenth century. A temple on this site was built between 1892 and 1902, and the present structure belongs to the twentieth century.
A hall marked by silver and royal objects
The most distinctive feature is the floor, covered with thousands of silver tiles. The main hall also contains royal regalia, Buddhist images and decorated surfaces that give the interior a formal, layered appearance.
At the centre stands a Buddha image associated with the temple’s name and identity. The silver floor explains the English name, while the Khmer name refers to the Emerald Buddha.
Wat Preah Keo Morakot in its present form
The pagoda was rebuilt in brick and concrete in the twentieth century after an earlier version of the temple had taken shape under King Norodom. Its present form dates from the reign of King Norodom Sihanouk and preserves a palace-temple character rather than that of a neighbourhood monastery.
Inside, the combination of silver, gilded surfaces and religious artefacts makes the building read as both shrine and royal display space. The result is a temple that can be understood through material, layout and function before any historical explanation is added.
Visiting Wat Preah Keo Morakot: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- The temple is inside the Royal Palace complex in Phnom Penh, reached through the palace grounds near Samdech Sothearos Boulevard.
- Access involves walking across palace courtyards and climbing steps to the main hall.
- The Khmer name and the English name point to the same place, so both names appear in local and travel references.
- The official language 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.
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Frequently asked questions about Wat Preah Keo Morakot
Where is Wat Preah Keo Morakot?
It stands inside the Royal Palace compound in central Phnom Penh, on the south side of the palace grounds. Samdech Sothearos Boulevard runs nearby.
What does a visit involve?
The site is reached through the palace grounds and up steps to the main hall. Inside, the silver floor and royal religious objects define the space.
What makes it distinctive?
The silver-tiled floor gives the temple its English name, while the Khmer name points to the Emerald Buddha. The combination of royal setting, temple form and precious materials is its defining character.
