Overlooking the Jaffna lagoon, sections of this vast complex (once one of the greatest Dutch forts in Asia) have been recently restored, though it remains largely in ruins. It was built in 1680 over an earlier Portuguese original, and defensive triangles were added in 1792 to produce the classic Vaubanesque star form.
Jaffna's fort has been fought over for centuries. Today you're free to explore its walls, admire its gateways and moats and view the city from its ramparts.
Long the gatehouse of the city, this citadel once housed thousands of troops and civilians. Many of its walls (constructed from coral, stone, brick and mortar) are still hidden beneath overgrown slopes.
During the war, government forces used it as an encampment, and in 1990 the LTTE – at the time in control of the rest of Jaffna – forced out government troops after a grisly 107-day siege.
