Banteay Kdei ("Citadel of Chambers") was built by Jayavarman VII in the late 12th century, roughly contemporary with Ta Prohm and sharing its style: lateral towers, face-bearing gopuras, and the general air of a Buddhist monastery rather than a Hindu temple-mountain. It is less visited than Ta Prohm — no trees have grown spectacularly through its walls — which means it is often pleasantly quiet and gives a more honest impression of what Angkor's sprawling monastic complexes actually felt like.
The temple occupies a large enclosure and takes about an hour to explore properly. Entry is from the west through a sequence of three progressively smaller enclosures, each marked by a gopura with four faces. The inner enclosure is relatively compact and well-preserved, with carved apsara figures in good condition on the colonnade walls. Srah Srang, the royal bathing pool, lies immediately to the east across the road and makes a natural pairing.