JAFFNA, SRI LANKA—War and neglect have taken a toll on Jaffna Fort, a star-shaped structure built in the seventeenth century by Dutch colonists on the Jaffa peninsula. Archaeologist Prashantha Mandawala of the University of Sri Jayewadenepura is leading the effort to remove unexploded mines and shells from the site. “There was also vandalism. Some people whose houses were damaged during the war had vandalized the fort to remove limestones to rebuild their homes,” Mandawala told The Sun Daily. Some 150 workers are looking for the limestone bricks in people’s homes, in the fort’s moat, and making replacements. “The biggest challenge we face in carrying out the restoration is finding coral stone. Environmental laws prevent us from quarrying limestone so we have to improvise,” he explained. The project will also restore a Dutch church and the governor’s residence built by the British in the eighteenth century. To read about archaeology in India, go to "India's Village of the Dead."
