Fortress
Mannar Fort
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka · 16th century
Mannar Fort (Tamil: மன்னார்க் கோட்டை, romanized: Maṉṉārk Kōṭṭai; Sinhala: මන්නාරම් බලකොටුව Mannaram Balakotuwa) is located on Mannar Island, Sri Lanka. It was built by Portuguese in 1560 and christened São Jorge. The fort fell to the Dutch in 1658, and they rebuilt the fort in 1696. In 1795 the British occupied the fort following the surrender by the Dutch.
It is a square-shaped fort with four bastions and is located next to the new bridge that connects the mainland with the Mannar Island.
The fort is currently occupied by the Department of Archeology.
Text adapted from “Mannar fort” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Mannar Fort ranks #5,929 of 8,134 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #11 of the 15 mapped in Sri Lanka. Founded 1560, it is older than 38% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 755 atlas entries founded in the 16th century. See how Sri Lanka compares in the castle statistics.
View on the interactive castle map →Frequently asked questions
Where is Mannar Fort?
Mannar Fort stands in Sri Lanka, at 8.97586°, 79.91701°.
When was Mannar Fort built?
The atlas dates its founding to 1560. Earlier structures may have stood on the site; this is the earliest documented founding year.
How famous is Mannar Fort?
In this atlas's fame ranking: #5,929 of 8,134 worldwide, and #11 in Sri Lanka. Fame here combines how many Wikipedia language editions cover a landmark with how many people read them.
What is the nearest castle to Mannar Fort?
Delft Island Fort, about 68 km away.
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