Outer Wall

Dutch Star Fort, Matara

This view of the outer wall from across the moat, illustrates how formidable the defenses would have seemed to an attacker. The fort's star shape covers all angles of fire, from the cannon ports that are cut into the wall. This, the only star fort in Lanka, seems pretty much state-of-the-art for its time.

Matara is located on the south coast of Sri Lanka, 45km (27mi) east of Galle.