Mannar Fort, Portuguese fort in Mannar Island, Sri Lanka.

Mannar Fort is a square fort with four corner bastions, built by the Portuguese in 1560 and named São Jorge. It stands on Mannar Island next to the new bridge linking the island to the mainland. The Dutch rebuilt it in 1696, and it is now occupied by the Department of Archaeology.

The Portuguese seized Mannar Island from the Jaffna Kingdom in 1560, the first land they took there, and built the fort, christening it São Jorge. The Dutch captured the island in 1658 before their campaign against Jaffna and rebuilt the fort in 1696. The British occupied it in 1795 after the Dutch surrender.

The fort shows European construction methods using granite stones and bricks that were typical of colonial times. You can see today how these materials were fitted together into the walls.

The fort stands at the southeastern tip of Mannar Island, facing the mainland across the narrow Palk Strait. It is next to the new bridge linking the island to the mainland. The Department of Archaeology occupies the site.

Two former prison cells sit at opposite ends of the building, each with small steel steps mounted on the walls. These details reveal how the fort was actually used during the occupation periods.