The Killing Fields of Choeung Ek are a somber reminder of the terror of the Khmer Rouge whose brutal regime, intending to turn Cambodia into a socialist agrarian society, ruled the country between 1975 and early 1979. In under four years, it's estimated that between one and three million Cambodians were killed under Pol Pot's authoritarian command. Many perished because of famine and disease, but also hundreds of thousands of Cambodians - intellectuals, educated people such as teachers and doctors, regime opponents, and simply anyone suspected of being an opponent - were murdered.

Here at Choeung Ek it's estimated that 17,000 people met their death. The victims here came from S-21, the Khmer Rouge's high-security prison that is now Tuol Sleng Museum. There are 129 mass graves here, 86 that have been excavated, exhuming the remains of 8,985 people. At the center of the area is a memorial stupa that contains more than 8,000 skulls. A visit here is an entirely sobering experience that will aid in your understanding of this tumultuous period in Cambodia's modern history. Choeung Ek lies off Monireth Boulevard