Delft Island fort
Fort in Sri Lanka
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Delft Island Fort (Tamil: நெடுந்தீவுக் கோட்டை, romanized: Neṭuntīvuk Kōṭṭai; Sinhala: ඩෙල්ෆ් බලකොටුව, romanized: Delf Balakotuwa, locally known as Neduntheevu fort and Meekaman fort) are ruins of a fort located on the island of Neduntheevu in the Palk Strait in northern Sri Lanka.
| Delft Island Fort | |
|---|---|
| Neduntheevu, Sri Lanka | |
Delft Island fort | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Defence fort |
| Condition | Ruins |
| Location | |
  Delft Island Fort | |
| Coordinates | 9.540736°N 79.677769°E |
| Site history | |
| Built by | Portuguese |
| Materials | Limestone and coral |
Traditionally attributed to the Karaiyar king Meekaman, the fort was probably built by the Portuguese.[1][2] Later, it was taken over by Dutch, who built a barrack nearby. The island was known to the Portuguese as Ilha das Vacas ("Island of the Cows"), was renamed by the Dutch as Delft Island.[3][4]
The fort was constructed out of limestone and coral. Ralph Henry Bassett described it as a "very strongly fortified fort", though it is now in ruins.[5]