Bayong Kor Range
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| Bayong Kor Range | |
|---|---|
| ភ្នំបាយ័ងគរ | |
| Geography | |
| Type | Mountain range |
| Country | Cambodia |
| Province | Takeo |
| District | Kirivong district |
| Coordinates | 10.641000, 104.844000 |
| Borders | Vietnam (south and east) |
| Elevation | 313 m (Phnom Bayong) |
| Rock Type | Granite/granodiorite pluton |
| Age | Late Cretaceous (~86 Ma) |
| Notes | Gem-bearing miarolitic pegmatites |
| Minerals | Topaz, aquamarine, smoky quartz, fluorite, tourmaline |
| Growing Region | Southern Cambodia |
| Growing Area | Kirivong |
The Bayong Kor Range (ភ្នំបាយ័ងគរ, also spelled Bayang Kor, Phnom Bayong, Phnom Bayang) is a low mountain range in Kirivong district, Takeo province, Cambodia, situated approximately 8 km from the Vietnamese border and 120 km south of Phnom Penh.[1] The range spans four communes: Preah Bat Choan Chum, Prey Ampok, Som and Kiri Chung Koh.[2]
The range is significant in three distinct domains: as the site of a 7th-century Angkorian temple complex, as a source of gem minerals studied by the Canadian Museum of Nature, and as the primary centre of landrace cannabis cultivation in modern Cambodia.
Geology
Phnom Bayong is a Late Cretaceous granite/granodiorite pluton dated to approximately 85.6 ± 2.2 million years ago, older than the 71 Ma dates previously reported by Cheng et al. (2019).[1] The mountain consists of two peaks separated by a valley, known locally as Phnom Saenachun and Phnom Ochlong on the eastern side and Phnom Preachabok on the western side.[1]
The granite is very coarse-grained, composed primarily of quartz and feldspar, with cavities (miarolitic pegmatites) containing well-formed smoky quartz, topaz, aquamarine (beryl), fluorite and tourmaline crystals.[3] Canadian Museum of Nature researchers observed smoky quartz crystals reportedly up to 1 m in length at gem stores in Phnom Penh, sourced from Phnom Bayong.[1]
Two building stone quarries operate on the western side of the mountain.[1]
Gem Mining
Gem mining at Phnom Bayong has been ongoing for at least 20 years. Gems are extracted from alluvial deposits and weathered miarolitic cavities using traditional hand-mining methods: ditches are dug into soil and stream beds, and water is used to wash and concentrate the gem material. There is no hard-rock mining with explosives or machinery.[3] All gemstones are cut locally in Kirivong town or sent to Phnom Penh.[1]
Production has declined in recent years as the accessible alluvial deposits are mined out. Exposing deeper gem-bearing pockets would require mechanical hard-rock mining methods not currently employed.[3] Fluorite is also mined from hydrothermal veins up to 25 cm wide using fire-setting methods.[1]
Archaeological Significance
The summit of Phnom Bayong (313 m) is the site of Prasat Bayong, a temple built between approximately AD 615 and 635 by King Bhavavarman II.[4] The laterite and brick temple measures approximately 13 by 9 metres and stands 12 metres high, though it is heavily damaged: the roof has collapsed, the laterite rampart is broken and fragments litter the ground.[4]
The temple is reached by climbing 390 stone steps through dense forest. Four additional temples are located on the mountain: Preah Kor, North Kanang, East Kanang and Kampoul Kanang.[4] The Pha Oak stream flows approximately 1,000 metres from its source on the mountain, widening from 2 metres in the dry season to 6 metres during the rains, and serves as a local bathing and gathering spot.[4]
Access to the archaeological sites remains difficult. The road to the mountain is old and passes through thick forest, limiting visitors primarily to researchers and determined tourists.[4]
Cannabis Cultivation
Main article: Kirivong
The Bayong Kor Range is the primary centre of cannabis cultivation in Cambodia. Police reports describe the terrain as "ideal for growing marijuana and smuggling to Vietnam" due to its remote, forested slopes and proximity to the border.[2] Takeo provincial police chief Chheang Phannara confirmed in 2021 that cannabis growing in the communes of the Bayong Kor range "is not a new practice and it has been going on for many generations."[5]
Cultivation is characterised by dispersed small plots on remote mountain slopes, concealed through intercropping with cassava, cashew, sesame and forest trees. Growers build irrigation infrastructure including wells, ponds and piped water systems, and maintain seasonal forest camps during the growing period.[2] Between 2019 and mid-2021, police documented 97 operations across 443 locations on the range, destroying crops and dismantling 282 water reservoirs across 60.97 hectares.[2]
Eradication operations continued into 2025: on 2 February 2025, a joint force led by provincial governor Vie Samnang destroyed 3,365 marijuana plants across seven locations at the Changkan rock point on the range, along with six water tanks.[6]
For detailed documentation of growing practices, enforcement history and supply chains, see Kirivong.
Naming
The mountain and range appear under several spellings in English-language sources: Bayong Kor (police and enforcement reports), Phnom Bayong and Phnom Bayang (tourism and archaeological sources), Bayong Kao and Bayangkor (variant transliterations). The Khmer script is ភ្នំបាយ័ងគរ. Phnom (ភ្នំ) is the Khmer word for mountain or hill.
See Also
- Kirivong (growing area)
- Kirivong district
- Takeo Province
- Southern Cambodia
- Cambodia
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Piilonen, Paula C., Lykova, Inna, Poirier, Glenn, Rowe, Ralph, Shepherd, Kieran, Bainbridge, Michael, Barlow, Reni, Ly, Sovanny. "The Mineralogy of the Gem-Bearing Miarolitic Pegmatites And Hydrothermal Veins At Phnom Bayong, Kirivong, Takeo Province, Cambodia." Rocks & Minerals, 98 (4), 2023, pp. 310–327. doi:10.1080/00357529.2023.2192165
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Ry Sochan. "Hunt on for Takeo marijuana growers." Phnom Penh Post, 1 June 2021. [1]
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Canadian Museum of Nature. "Mineralogy Adventure in Cambodia: Looking for Topaz in Takeo Province." 24 February 2015. [2]
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 "Phnom Ba Yong." Tourism Cambodia. [3]
- ↑ Khouth Sophak Chakrya. "Officers told to tackle marijuana cultivation." Phnom Penh Post, 6 December 2021. [4]
- ↑ "In Pictures: Authorities burn 3365 illegal 'mountain marijuana' plants in Cambodia." Khmer Times, 3 February 2025. [5]