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Cambodia: A 1918 photograph of the minaret and mosque in Svay Kleang in Kompong Cham Province.

Cambodia: A 1918 photograph of the minaret and mosque in Svay Kleang in Kompong Cham Province.

Built in 1834, the majestic Muslim tower, or 'suen', is located on the banks of the Mekong River in the village of Svay Kleang, which has been the heart of Cambodia’s minority Muslim community for centuries and played a key part in the Cham Rebellion against the Khmer Rouge in 1975. The Cham are an Austronesian people who probably migrated from Borneo. The Champa Kingdom peaked in the 9th century when it controlled the lands between Hue in central Annam to the Mekong Delta in Cochinchina. Champa's prosperity came from maritime trade in sandalwood and slaves, and probably piracy.

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