Cambodian Princess Norodom Bopha Devi, a former culture minister who helped resurrect traditional Apsara dance from the ashes of the brutal Khmer Rouge rule in the 1970s, died on Monday at the age of 76, premier Hun Sen said.

Daughter of late king Norodom Sihanouk and half sister of current monarch Norodom Sihamoni, Bopha Devi died from an illness in a Bangkok hospital, according to family.

A classical ballet performed with slow, twisting movements and arched fingers, Apsara has been performed in Cambodia for more than 1,000 years and bas-reliefs of dancers are seen on Angkorian temple walls.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2019