World’s FairsFound, not built?
Old WorldGalle Fort
Galle Fort
Galle Fort: AMH-7070-KB View of the castle of Punto Gala from the roadstead
Galle Fort: Angling (8465474186)

Photo: Rijksmuseum · CC0 · via Wikimedia Commons

Star fort · Galle, Sri Lanka

Galle FortSuspected

On the globe
Dated
Portuguese 1588; Dutch from 1649
Declared purpose
Fortified town
Today
Survives, town (UNESCO)
Region
Asia
On the list as
Suspected

Why it's on the list

A Portuguese then Dutch star fort with a town inside.

Hidden history

Found, Not Built

A fortified town of bastions on a Sri Lankan headland, built by the Portuguese and rebuilt by the Dutch.

  1. Why researchers flag it

    A Portuguese then Dutch star fort with a town inside.

  2. A star town

    Bastions around a town.

  3. Survived the tsunami

    It shielded the old town in 2004.

Questions worth asking

  • How did the walls survive the tsunami?

Possible original uses

  • Fort town

What the photos show

Sources

Further viewing

Episodes from My Lunch Break (Michael Kruse), the main lens for this app. They open on YouTube.

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