Ancient explorers, this is a major breakthrough. 25 miles west of the Angkor Vat temple, a hidden city was found, and it seems that Buddhist temple was at this point for at least 350 years!

Evans, director of the University of Sydney's Archaeological Research Center in Cambodia, says the moment heuréka in this discovery he lost a few weeks earlier when LIDAR data jumped on the computer screen.

"Thanks to this device - BUM - out of nowhere we saw an instant picture of the whole city, which no one knew before existed, which is just amazing," he said.

Heng Heap, a one-legged smoker, and a former Red Khmer soldier, led an expedition that slammed through the undergrowth and traversed the landmines in an area where every stone knew.

Heng Heap, who was injured in three landmine explosions and has a plastic prosthesis instead of a leg, said he was surprised when archaeologists used GPS coordinates to lead him directly to a temple site he never knew existed and was buried or hidden in the jungle. . "

Pictured: A Buddha carved into a rock wall in an ancient Cambodian town that was discovered by laser technology. Photo: Nick Moir