13/08/2026
DID YOU KNOW? π°ππ΅πΉ
Portuguese Missionary Gaspar da Cruz Was the First European to Write About Cambodia in 1556
In 1556, Portuguese Dominican missionary Gaspar da Cruz traveled to Cambodia during the reign of King Ang Chan I. He spent time in the kingdom and later wrote about Cambodia, its people, customs, religion, and royal court.
His writings became the first known European account of Cambodia, more than 300 years before French explorer Henri Mouhot's famous journey to Cambodia in the 19th century.
Most importantly, Cambodia was never a land waiting to be βdiscovered.β When Europeans began writing about it, Cambodia was already an established kingdom with its own civilization, culture, religion, traditions, and centuries of history.
π°π Nearly 500 years later, Gaspar da Cruz's account gives us a fascinating glimpse of how Cambodia was seen by one of its earliest European visitors.
For more information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaspar_da_Cruz
https://thebettercambodia.com/the-mediaeval-history-of-cambodia/