Explorer and naturalist. He was a French naturalist who carried out botanical and zoological expeditions in Southeast Asia, his passage being paid for by grants from the aid of the Royal Geographic Society and the Zoological Society of London. His fame, however, came from his book "Travels in Siam, Cambodia and Laos," in which he provided detailed sketches and written descriptions of the Angkor Temples of Cambodia, which captured the imaginations of Western readers and popularized Angkor in the West. Though often credited with "discovering" Angkor Wat, the location of ancient center of the Khmer Empire was consistently known and used by the Khmers and had been visited by Westerners prior to his visit. Mouhot contracted malaria while sojourning in Luang Prabang, and was buried by the riverside. Some years later a tomb was built for him. The tomb became lost in the undergrowth over the following century and was rediscovered in 1990.
Explorer and naturalist. He was a French naturalist who carried out botanical and zoological expeditions in Southeast Asia, his passage being paid for by grants from the aid of the Royal Geographic Society and the Zoological Society of London. His fame, however, came from his book "Travels in Siam, Cambodia and Laos," in which he provided detailed sketches and written descriptions of the Angkor Temples of Cambodia, which captured the imaginations of Western readers and popularized Angkor in the West. Though often credited with "discovering" Angkor Wat, the location of ancient center of the Khmer Empire was consistently known and used by the Khmers and had been visited by Westerners prior to his visit. Mouhot contracted malaria while sojourning in Luang Prabang, and was buried by the riverside. Some years later a tomb was built for him. The tomb became lost in the undergrowth over the following century and was rediscovered in 1990.
Bio by: Chris Nelson
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