Jaffna Fort

Situated on the south side of the Jaffna peninsula at the water’s edge of the lagoon, the ancient fort in Jaffna is the second largest existing fort in the Island. Originally built by the Portuguese in 1619 and rebuilt and expanded by the Dutch during the second half of the 17th and the 18th centuries to facilitate trading activities of Sri Lanka’s Northern region indicate not only of Jaffna’s strategic importance to Europeans but its significance throughout Sri Lanka’s history.