In Cambodia, the scars of recent fighting dot the ancient walls of the Preah Vihear temple

AFP is the first international media outlet to have visited this temple, considered a masterpiece of Khmer architecture and overlooking the northern plains of Cambodia, since the end of December and the end of fighting between Cambodian and Thai armies.

The area became a battleground when last year an old border dispute again escalated into open conflict involving fighter jets, artillery, tanks and infantry units, which killed dozens and displaced more than a million people, before a ceasefire was reached in December.

Cambodian officials accompanying the AFP team said the extensive damage to the 11th-century complex, including its carved sandstone ornamentation, resulted from artillery fire and aerial bombardments by Thai forces.

On the site, AFP journalists were able to see several unexploded shells.

"The damage is very serious," says Ea Darith, director of Conservation and Archaeology at the Preah Vihear Authority, which is responsible for preserving the temple, "restoration will be difficult, time-consuming and expensive."

According to him, the temple was damaged in 420 places in December, after having already been damaged in 142 places during previous clashes in July.

"Some structures could collapse. We need urgent intervention," he warned, adding that Cambodia would consult with UNESCO on how to proceed with repairs.

Irreparable damage

The UN agency told AFP in January that it would send a mission, at the request of the Cambodian authorities, to assess the damage to the temple, which has been on its World Heritage list since 2008.

The border dispute stems from an agreement reached in the early 20th century between the Kingdom of Siam (present-day Thailand) and French Indochina (comprising present-day Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia), which notably demarcated the border between the two territories. However, some areas remained contested, and disputes resurfaced after World War II.

In 1954, a year after Cambodia's independence, Thailand occupied the temple. Following a case brought by Phnom Penh, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) awarded Cambodian sovereignty over Preah Vihear in 1962. It reaffirmed its decision in 2013, further awarding Cambodian sovereignty over the entire area in which it is located.

Some of the damage caused by the recent fighting is irreparable, says Hem Sinath, deputy director of the Preah Vihear Authority, adding that it is possible to preserve the damaged areas as "museum areas showing the damage caused by the Thai side's fire".

In December, Thailand accused Cambodian forces of using the Preah Vihear site as an outpost, effectively causing it to lose its protected status.

On the last day of the fighting, "the Thai army fired heavily on the temple," a police officer stationed at the site told AFP on condition of anonymity, "they wanted to destroy the temple," he asserted.