| Old Town of Galle and its Fortifications* | |
|---|---|
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
 |
|
| State Party |  Sri Lanka |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | iv |
| Reference | 451 |
| Region† | Asia-Pacific |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 1988 (10th Session) |
| * Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. † Region as classified by UNESCO. |
|
Galle (ගාල්ල in Sinhala; காலி in Tamil) (pronounced as one syllable in English, IPA: /gɔːl/, the same as "Gaul", and in Sinhalese, IPA: [gaːlːə]) is a town situated on the southwestern tip of Sri Lanka, 119 km from Colombo. A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex As of 2008 there are a total of 878 World Heritage Sites located in 145 "State Parties" Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka ( Sinhalese:, இலங்கை known as Ceylon before 1972 is an Island A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex This is a list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Asia, Australia and the Pacific ( Australia) A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex Sinhalese or Sinhala (සිංහල ISO 15919: siṁhala ˈsiŋhələ earlier referred to as Singhalese) is the language of the Sinhalese Tamil (ta தமிழ்; t̪əmɨɻ is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. Sinhalese or Sinhala (සිංහල ISO 15919: siṁhala ˈsiŋhələ earlier referred to as Singhalese) is the language of the Sinhalese Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka ( Sinhalese:, இலங்கை known as Ceylon before 1972 is an Island The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand Colombo ( Sinhala:, ˈkoləmbə Tamil: கொழும்பு is the largest city and commercial capital of Sri Lanka. 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. Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Abdullah Al Lawati Al Tanji Ibn Battuta (أبو عبد الله محمد ابن عبد الله اللواتي الطنجي بن بطوطة (born February Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Galle reached the height of its development in the 18th century, before the arrival of the British, who developed the harbor at Colombo. The 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar, in accordance with the Anno Domini / Common Era numbering system The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located
Galle lies in Galle District. Galle is a district in Southern Province, Sri Lanka. Geological Background Its area is 1652 km² in which 35 km² is water and 1617
On 26 December 2004 the city was devastated by the massive Boxing Day Tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake that occurred a thousand miles away, off the coast of Indonesia. Events 1481 - Battle of Westbrook - Holland defeats troops of Utrecht. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea Earthquake that occurred at 005853 UTC on December 26 2004 with an Epicentre off the west coast of The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea Earthquake that occurred at 005853 UTC on December 26 2004 with an Epicentre off the west coast of The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. Thousands were killed in the city alone.
Galle is the best example of a fortified city built by Europeans in south and southeast Asia, showing the interaction between European architectural styles and south Asian traditions. The term architecture (from Greek αρχιτεκτονικήarchitektoniki) can be used to mean a process a profession or documentation Galle fort is a world heritage site and the largest remaining fortress in Asia built by European occupiers. Museum There is a museum inside the Dutch fort which is in a Dutch Colonial building in Church Street is the Cultural Museum adjoining the AmanGalla Hotel Fortifications are Military Constructions and Buildings designed for defense in Warfare Humans have constructed defensive works for Other prominent landmarks in Galle include St. Mary's Cathedral founded by Jesuit priests, one of the main Shiva temples on the island, and The Amangalla, a historic luxury hotel. Originally a landmark literally meant a Geographic Feature used by explorers and Queen of the Holy Rosary Cathedral is a landmark in the City of Galle, Sri Lanka The Society of Jesus ( Latin: Societas Iesu, SJ and SI or SJ, SI) is a Catholic religious order A priest or priestess is a person having the authority or power to administer religious rites in particular rites of sacrifice to and propitiation of a deity or deities Shiva:(pronunciation; Sanskrit: शिव Śiva, lit "Auspicious one" One of the Trimurtis Shiva is the supreme God in the Shaiva
Galle is the main town in the most southerly part of the island, with a population of around 100,000, and is connected by rail to Colombo and Matara. Matara, (originally Mahathota) is a city on the southern coast of Sri Lanka, 160 km from Colombo. It is home to a cricket ground, the Galle International Stadium, rebuilt after the 2004 tsunami. Cricket is a bat-and-ball team Sport that originated in England and is now played in more than 100 countries Galle International Stadium is a Cricket stadium in Galle, Sri Lanka, situated near the Galle fort and fringed on two sides by the Test matches resumed there on December 18, 2007.
Rumassala Kanda is a large mound-like hill, which forms the eastern protective barrier to the Galle harbour. Local tradition associates this hill with some events of the Ramayana. The Rāmāyaṇa ( Devanāgarī: sa रामायण is an ancient Sanskrit epic attributed to the Hindu sage ( Maharishi) Valmiki
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History
According to James Emerson Tennent, Galle was the ancient seaport of Tarshish, from which King Solomon drew ivory, peacocks and other valuables. A "mosque" in English refers to all types of buildings dedicated for Islamic worship although there is a distinction in Arabic between the smaller privately owned mosque and the larger Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka ( Sinhalese:, இலங்கை known as Ceylon before 1972 is an Island Sir James Emerson Tennent 1st Baronet ( 7 April 1804 &ndash 6 March 1869) born James Emerson, was an Irish Politician Tarshish occurs in the Hebrew Bible with these meanings One of the sons of Javan (Genesis 104 King Solomon ( Ge'ez: ስለሞን Arabic: ar سليمان, Sulayman, all from the Triliteral root S-L-M, "peace" Ivory is formed from Dentine and constitutes the bulk of the Teeth and Tusks of animals such as the Elephant, Hippopotamus, Peacocks may refer to Peafowl Peacocks (retailer Certainly, 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 the main entrepot for the spice. Cinnamon ( Cinnamomum verum, synonym C zeylanicum) is a small Evergreen Tree 10–15 metres (32 An entrepôt (from the French " Warehouse " is a Trading post where merchandise can be imported and Exported without
Galle had been a prominent seaport long before western rule in the country. Persians, Arabs, Greeks, Romans, Malays and Indians were doing business through Galle port. layout and formatting it should ensure no clashes with the top of the infobox The araB gene Promoter is a bacterial promoter activated by e L-arabinose binding The Greeks ( Greek: Έλληνες) are a Nation and Ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighbouring regions Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC Malays (Melayu are an Ethnic group of Austronesian peoples predominantly inhabiting the Malay Peninsula, the east coast of Sumatra, the coast India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country The "modern" history of Galle starts in 1505, when the first Portuguese ship, under Lourenço de Almeida was driven there by a storm. Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Lourenço de Almeida (died 1508 son of Francisco de Almeida, acting under him distinguished himself in the Indian Ocean, and made Ceylon (present 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 East India Company ( Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie or VOC in old-spelling Dutch, literally "United East Indian The Dutch built the present Fort in the year 1663. Fortifications are Military Constructions and Buildings designed for defense in Warfare Humans have constructed defensive works for 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. The British Empire was the largest empire in history and for over a century was the foremost global power. Year 1796 ( MDCCXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year
Demographics
Galle is sizeable town, by Sri Lankan standards, and has a population of 90,934, the majority of whom are of Sinhalese ethnicity; there is a large Sri Lankan Moor minority who are the descendants of the Arab traders that established the ancient port of Galle. The Sinhalese are the main ethnic group of Sri Lanka. They speak Sinhala, an Indo-Aryan language and number approximately 15 million people with the The Sri Lankan Moors (also called Muslims, Marakallayos or Sonagar) are the third largest ethnic group in Sri Lanka comprising 9% of the country's The araB gene Promoter is a bacterial promoter activated by e L-arabinose binding
| Ethnicity | Population | % Of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Sinhalese | 66,114 | 72. The Sinhalese are the main ethnic group of Sri Lanka. They speak Sinhala, an Indo-Aryan language and number approximately 15 million people with the 71 |
| Sri Lankan Tamils | 989 | 1. Sri Lankan Tamil people ( or Ceylon Tamils, are an Ethnic group native to the South Asian island state of Sri Lanka who predominantly speak 09 |
| Indian Tamils | 255 | 0. 28 |
| Sri Lankan Moors | 23,234 | 25. The Sri Lankan Moors (also called Muslims, Marakallayos or Sonagar) are the third largest ethnic group in Sri Lanka comprising 9% of the country's 56 |
| Other (including Burgher, Malay) | 342 | 0. The Burghers are a Eurasian ethnic group historically from Sri Lanka, consisting for the most part of male-line descendants of European colonists Malays (Melayu are an Ethnic group of Austronesian peoples predominantly inhabiting the Malay Peninsula, the east coast of Sumatra, the coast 38 |
| Total | 90,934 | 100 |
Source: 2001 Census
Universities
Two main faculties of University of Ruhuna are located in Galle. The University of Ruhuna is a university located in Matara, Sri Lanka. Faculty of Engineering is located at Hapugala about 5 km from the city center. Faculty of Engineering Ruhuna, is one of seven faculties of University of Ruhuna. The faculty of Medicine is located at Karapitiya near the Karapitiya Hospital.
Schools
- Richmond College (established in 1876)Richmond College Website
- Mahinda College (established in 1892)Mahinda College Website
- Siri Dhamma College (established in 1995)
- St.Aloysius College (established in 1895)
- Southlands College (established in 1885)
- Sacred Heart Convent
- Sangamitta Girls'College
- Vidayaloka College
- Rippon Girls' College
- Nagoda Jathika Pasala. Richmond College is a secondary school in Galle, Sri Lanka The school was started in the year 1876 by Christian Missionaries Mahinda College Galle was established in March 1 1892 by the Buddhist Theosophical Society led by Colonel Henry Steel Olcott St Aloysius' College Galle Sri Lanka St Aloysius' College is one of the leading boy's schools in Southern Province of Sri Lanka.
- All Saints College (established in 1867)
- Christ Church Girls' College(established in 1888)
- Olcot Mix College
- G/Battemulla Maha Vidyalaya,Imaduwa
- Malharus Sulhiya National School
- Muslim Ladies College
Twin cities
The City of Galle is twinned with:
Although not an official twin city, 
Melbourne, Australia 'adopted' Galle after the 2004 tsunami disaster, funding the reconstruction of its cricket ground and providing financial and other support, including a mobile library. Velsen ( is a municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Melbourne ( is the second most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 3 For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea Earthquake that occurred at 005853 UTC on December 26 2004 with an Epicentre off the west coast of
Maps
See also
External links
- Old Town of Galle and its Fortifications, UNESCO World Heritage
- Official website of the Sri Lanka Tourism Board
- Maritime Archaeology & History of Sri Lanka
- Audio interview with Galle resident about life in Galle (English)
- The Walled City - Galle
- CPAmedia Historic Galle
- A Historic tour through the city of Galle
- The old world's romantic city: Galle!
- Galle - A Port City in History
 Sri Lankan Cities |
Sri Lankan cities |
|---|---|
| Colombo (Commercial Capital) | Sri Jayewardenapura (National Capital) | Anuradhapura | Trincomalee | Jaffna | Kandy | Polonnaruwa | Galle | Batticaloa | Boralesgamuwa | Nuwara Eliya | Negombo | Kurunegala | Badulla | Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia | Moratuwa | Matara | Maharagama | Ratnapura |
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