Dutch Star Fort

Matara, Sri Lanka

The 18th century star fort was named "Redoute (Fort) van Eck" after Lubbert Jan Baron van Eck, the Dutch governor at the time. The decorated gate bears a date of 1763, the fort's name, the Dutch coat of arms, and - within its lunette-shaped pediment - the insignia of the Dutch East India Company (VOC).

The fort's moat (next page) is crossed by a chain-operated drawbridge. Projecting beams, from which the chains run out, appear halfway up the gate in this photo.