7 Makara

Prampi Makara or 7 Makara (7th January) was named after the day when Kampuchean Armed Forces and Vietnamese troops liberated the capital in 1979. It is literally the centre of Phnom Penh. A web of narrow streets with every shop imaginable, all seemingly headed towards Orussey Market. The real Phnom Penh, the beating heart, the raw flesh where shop owners and stall holder ply their trades. A look up and you will see the pre-Pol Pot face of the city: the Khmer take on Modernism. Prampi Makara is the smallest Khan in Phnom Penh. It is subdivided into 8 Sangkats and 33 Kroms (villages). It is only 2.2 km² but in 1998 had 96,192 inhabitants, making it one of the most densely populated areas in the city. And yet, it is often overlooked. Westerners tend to head towards Daun Penh or Chamkarmon as if nothing else matters. The Chinese appear only to want to be in BKK 1 close to Naga World. Both ends of the investor / renter spectrum look elsewhere. Here you can buy or rent living spaces for half the price of other areas. They will have character and the moment you step into the street, the city presents itself in its fullness. Orussey Market watches over all – chaos by day, an eerie stillness by night. Barely 700m north are Vattanac and Canadia Towers, 400m south west is Molyvann’s Olympic Stadium and to the immediate south BKK 1 and east, Riverside. It is all there… waiting.