Sri Lanka Galle and its fortifications - UNESCO World Heritage Site

1. Sri Lanka 1 Galle and its Fortifications - UNESCO World Heritage Site

2. Galle is a major city in Sri Lanka, situated on the southwestern tip of Sri Lanka, 119 km from Colombo. Galle is the administrative capital of Southern Province, Sri Lanka and the district capital of Galle District. Founded in the 16th century by the Portuguese, Galle reached the height of its development in the 18th century, before the arrival of the British. It is the best example of a fortified city built by Europeans in South and South-East Asia, showing the interaction between European architectural styles and South Asian traditions.

3. Galle was known as Gimhathiththa (although Ibn Batuta in the 14th century refers to it as Qali before the arrival of the Portuguese in the 16th century, when it was the main port on the island. Galle reached the height of its development in the 18th century, during the Dutch colonial period.

4. The Galle fort is a world heritage site and the largest remaining fortress in Asia built by European occupiers. Other prominent landmarks in Galle include the city's natural harbor, the National Maritime Museum, St. Mary's Cathedral founded by Jesuit priests, one of the main Shiva temples on the island, and Amangalla the historic luxury hotel.

5. Dutch period buildings inside the fort

14. Galle had been a prominent seaport long before western rule in the country. Persians, Arabs, Greeks, Romans, Malays, Indians, and Chinese were doing business through Galle port. In 1411, the Galle Trilingual Inscription, a stone tablet inscription in three languages, Chinese, Tamil and Persian, was erected in Galle to commemorate the second visit to Sri Lanka by the Chinese admiral Zheng He.

16. According to James Emerson Tennent, Galle was the ancient seaport of Tarshish, from which King Solomon drew ivory, peacocks and other valuables. Cinnamon was exported from Sri Lanka as early as 1400 BC and the root of the word itself is Hebrew, so Galle may have been a main entrepot for the spice

17. The area was initially colonized by the Portuguese; a Portuguese fleet commanded by Lorenzo de Almeida accidentally arrived at the location in 1505 while en route to the Maldives. These early visitors are credited with giving the town its name.

18. It was the Portuguese who first constructed the fort in 1588. The Dutch colonists who succeeded them extensively rebuilt and fortified the structure in the 17th century. The two-storey warehouse was an integral part of the old ramparts. It is pierced in the middle by the Old Gate

20. The Portuguese first built a fort here in 1588. This was captured by the Dutch in 1640, greatly expanded, and surrendered to the British in 1796. Its history is summarized in the photo on this page, which shows the outer face of the Old Gate. The small plaque dated 1668 is from the Dutch occupation. Above it, the British carved their national coat of arms after the takeover. The west (inner) face of the Old Gate is decorated with the coat of arms of the VOC, above which perches the city's eponymous rooster. The date is given in Roman numerals as 1669.

21. A classic Sri Lankan tuk tuk parked outside one of the old Dutch buildings 

23. The Maritime Archaeology Museum is housed in a former VOC warehouse

24. The Maritime Archaeology Museum

25. Groote Kerk The Dutch Reformed Church was completed in 1755, occupying the grounds of an earlier Portuguese convent. The church was a dedication by Casparus de Jong, the Commander of Galle, in gratitude for the birth of a daughter.

27. Groote Kerk

28. Groote Kerk

29. Groote Kerk

32. Bastion of the Dutch Fort of Galle

33. A Dutch era Christian chapel and cemetery

34. Barringtonia asiatica (Fish Poison Tree). It is grown along streets for decorative and shade purposes

37. Walk on the Galle Old Dutch Cannons

38. The "modern" history of Galle starts in 1505, when the first Portuguese ship, under Lourenço de Almeida was driven there by a storm. However, the people of the city refused to let the Portuguese enter it, so the Portuguese took it by force. In 1640, the Portuguese had to surrender to the Dutch East India Company. The Dutch built the present Fort in the year 1663. They built a fortified wall, using solid granite, and built three bastions, known as "Sun", "Moon" and "Star". After the British took over the country from the Dutch in the year 1796, they preserved the Fort unchanged, and used it as the administrative centre of Galle.

39. the Star Bastion is one of the few remaining holdovers from the original Portuguese fort of 1588

42. Finally the location was surrendered to the British in 1796. However the British did not make any modifications to the site and therefore the fort is considered to be representative of the Dutch colonial period.  The old gate with its British coat of arms

43. The British coat of arms

44. Construction on All Saints' Anglican Church was begun in 1868.

45. The church was consecrated in 1871, and still holds services today. It is built on a basilican plan, in Victorian Gothic Revival style.

47. St Joseph's chapel

48. Amangalla hotel

49. Built in 1883 under British rule, the tower was dedicated to Dr. PD Anthonisz, the first Sri Lankan to obtain the MRCP medical diploma

50. Galle is the best example of a fortified city built by the Portuguese in South and Southeast Asia, showing the interaction between Portuguese architectural styles and native traditions.