马纳尔

Mannar

一个偏远、阳光灿烂的岛屿小镇，通过堤道与大陆相连，以其荷兰堡垒、巨大的猴面包树、野驴和成群的迁徙火烈鸟而闻名。

概述

马纳尔是斯里兰卡西北部的主要城镇，位于马纳尔湾颈部的马纳尔岛上，通过一条长堤道与大陆相连。它长期被旅行者忽视，但它却为那些踏上旅程的人带来了奇妙的另类景观，包括盐田、巴尔米拉棕榈树、风力涡轮机和栖息着水鸟的湿地。小镇本身很小，尘土飞扬，周围聚集着一座保存完好的荷兰堡垒和一些几个世纪前由阿拉伯商人带来的古老猴面包树。野驴在街道上漫步，周围的泻湖和保护区在北方冬季期间吸引了大量候鸟，包括火烈鸟。

历史

Mannar has been a gateway between Sri Lanka and India for over two thousand years, tied to the legend of Rama's Bridge and to the ancient pearl fisheries of the Gulf of Mannar. It was an early landing point for traders, missionaries and invaders, and the Portuguese fortified the town in 1560; the fort was later taken and rebuilt by the Dutch and held by the British. The district long had a substantial Tamil and Muslim population and was heavily affected by the civil war, which held back development and tourism until after 2009, since when the town and its causeway road have steadily reopened to visitors.