Jaffna Fort

Jaffna Fort is a Dutch colonial star fort constructed between 1658 and 1792 on the site of an earlier Portuguese fortification, covering 22 acres on the Jaffna coast with 4km of largely intact ramparts and a dry moat that still encircles three sides. The Dutch East India Company built it to protect their lucrative cinnamon trade from the Jaffna peninsula, and its military engineering is a textbook example of 17th-century European star fort design — angled bastions that eliminate blind spots for cannon fire, tiered walls of coral stone and brick, and a main gate still bearing the VOC cipher. Inside the fort walls stand a Dutch church, colonial government buildings, and a lighthouse, all in varying states of preservation that reflect decades of wartime damage and post-war restoration. Enter from the main landward gate and walk the full rampart circuit for views over Jaffna Lagoon, then visit the small military museum near the central parade ground.