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Queen’s Tower – alluring colonial legacy in Delft Island By Arundathie Abeysinghe Located in Delft Island approximately 30 kilometers off the west coast of the Jaffna Peninsula, Delft Island (also known as Neduntivu or Neduntheeve meaning Long Island or Large Island) is the second largest island in Sri Lanka with a history spanning over a thousand years dating to the period of the *Chola Dynasty. Initially occupied by the Chola Dynasty, the Portuguese and the Dutch in the 17th century and thereafter by the British, Delft Island is a stark contrast to the landscape of the mainland Sri Lanka, a unique and extraordinary place. The Island is abundant with colonial legacy. There is also a *Baobab tree in the Island, one of the several Baobab trees in Sri Lanka brought to *Ceylon by the seafaring Arab traders and regarded as the longest-lived tree species on earth. Among the colonial remnants, ...