The earliest western accounts of Angkor Wat came from a Portuguese writer in
the 16th century. Although he had not seen the ruins himself, he had heard a
story of how a Cambodian king had came upon the ruins while he had been
hunting elephants.
There are engravings at Angkor Wat that show that Japanese explorers had
visited the temple in 1632.
There are also interesting accounts of Angkor Wat that were written by a
Chinese emissary that lived there for a year in the 1300's. He gives detailed
descriptions of the city, individual temples, the festivals held there, and
aspects of daily life including childbirth and hygiene habits. Part of his
descriptions of life at Angkor Wat include descriptions of the New Year's
celebration, which included fireworks shot into the sky that were visible from
13 kilometers away.
