Your base for exploring this tourist attraction is the ancient city of Colombo, Sri Lanka. For tourist information about Colombo, go to Colombo Travel Guide. To prepare for a trip to Sri Lanka, read also the Sri Lanka Travel Guide. Looking for budget accommodation there? Use AsiaExplorers Budget Accommodation Guide, the no-frills website to cover your budget accommodation needs.
Fort is a district in downtown Colombo. It should be written Fort, not the Fort. And what's more, you cannot find a fort here. The old fortifications which were erected by the Dutch (who built on the original fortifications left by the Portuguese) were demolished by the British (the same way they demolished the Malacca Fort, I suppose).
When I visited Colombo with a small group of AsiaExplorers members, I had the opportunity to explore Fort. However, there were many places which were out-of-bounds to photography, hence there isn't much that I can show you about this area. I was quite surprise by the sensitivity to tourists taking photographs. Even at the hotel where we stayed, the Galadari Hotel, we could only aim our cameras at the hotel, and not at any other direction. That because the Galadari faces the Presidential Secretariat Building, which is off-limits to photography.
The YMBA Building is one of the many heritage buildings in Fort.
Some of the most significant buildings in Colombo are in Fort, and hence, I was unable to photograph them. A major landmark was the Lighthouse Clock Tower. While not particularly striking in design, this clock tower at Lower Chatham Street stands in a neighbourhood that has suffered bomb blasts.
Speaking of bomb blasts, Fort district is particularly prone to it. And, to my astonishment, Galadari Hotel as well as the nearby Hotel Inter Continental have been bombed before. I have been to places where security was also tight, like Kashmir, but what we have at Fort takes it to ridiculous proportions.
There are many beautiful buildings in Fort. One of the most prominent one, which I am allowed to photograph, is the YMBA Building, also called Sir Cyril de Zoysa Building, belonging to the Young Men Buddhist Association.
Fort Photo Gallery
Another view of the YMBA Building.
British commercial banks that have branches at Fort include the HSBC and Standard Chartered.
Heritage building along Sir Baron D.B. Jayatilaka Mawatha.
Colombo Travel Guide
Useful tips and information on tourist attractions for planning a trip there.
About the Author: AsiaExplorers is researched and written by Timothy Tye. We take reasonable care to check and verify the accuracy of the content. However, we disclaim any responsibility for any inconvenience, mishap, injury or death resulting from following the advice provided directly or indirectly by AsiaExplorers and the comments on its pages. All the photographs in AsiaExplorers are available for publication. Please contact AsiaExplorers at the following email address for your enquiries:
