17 Unusual Urban Legends Behind the World’s Most Iconic Landmarks

10. The Shadow People of Angkor Wat

The sprawling ruins of Angkor Wat, Cambodia’s most famous temple complex, hold within their walls centuries of forgotten rituals, lost dynasties, and lingering spirits. As the largest religious monument in the world, Angkor Wat is a place of immense cultural and spiritual significance—but it is also known for something far more unsettling. Visitors and monks alike have reported encounters with shadow people—fast-moving, dark figures that flicker in and out of sight among the ancient stone pillars. These spectral beings seem to defy logic; they move too quickly to be human and vanish before anyone can get a clear look at them. Some believe they are guardians of lost relics, forever protecting the sacred grounds from trespassers. Others fear they are the spirits of ancient warriors who perished in battle, unable to leave the earthly plane. One particularly chilling story comes from a tourist in 2014, who claimed to have taken a photo at Ta Prohm, one of Angkor’s overgrown temple ruins. Upon reviewing the image, they noticed a tall, cloaked figure standing behind them, though they had been alone. Stranger still, when they returned to the exact same spot the next day, they found out that it had been the site of a human sacrifice centuries earlier—something they hadn’t known at the time.