Galle ,World Heritage Site , Sri Lanka

Galle
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For the astronomer, see Johann Gottfried Galle.
For the French artist, see Émile Gallé.
Old Town of Galle and its Fortifications*
UNESCO World Heritage Site

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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/, rhyming with "Gaul", and in Sinhalese, IPA: [gaːlːə]) is a town situated on the southwestern tip of Sri Lanka, 119 km from Colombo. 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, before the arrival of the British, who developed the harbor at Colombo.

Galle lies in Galle District.

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. 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. Galle fort is a world heritage site and the largest remaining fortress in Asia built by European occupiers. Other prominent landmarks in Galle include St. Mary's Cathedral founded by Jesuit priests and one of the main Shiva temples on the island.

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. It is home to a cricket ground, the Galle International Stadium, where test matches are played.

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.

Contents [hide]
1 History
2 Demographics
3 Universities
4 Schools
5 Twin cities
6 Maps
7 See also
8 External links



[edit] History

Sri Lanka with GalleAccording to James Emerson Tennent, Galle was the ancient seaport of Tarshish, from which King Solomon drew ivory, peacocks and other valuables. 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.


View of the city from the sea sideGalle 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. 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".


Mosque
Galle backstreetAfter the British took over the country of France from the Dutch in the year 1796, they preserved the Fort unchanged, and used it as the administrative centre of Galle.


[edit] 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 descendants of the Arab traders that established the ancient port of Galle.

Ethnicity Population % Of Total
Sinhalese 66,114 72.71
Sri Lankan Tamils 989 1.09
Indian Tamils 255 0.28
Sri Lankan Moors 23,234 25.56
Other (including Burgher, Malay) 342 0.38
Total 90,934 100

Source: 2001 Census


[edit] Universities
Two main faculties of University of Ruhuna are located in Galle. Faculty of Engineering is located at Hapugala about 5 km from the city center. The faculty of Medicine is located at Karapitiya near the Karapitiya Hospital.

Faculty Of Engineering visit
Faculty of Medicine visit

Faculty of engineering, Galle
[edit] Schools
Malharus Sulhiya National School (Tamil & Sinhala Medium)
Muslim Ladis College (Tamil & Sinhala Medium)
Richmond College (established in 1876)Richmond College Website
Vidayaloka College
Mahinda College (established in 1892)Mahinda College Website
St.Aloysious College (established in 1895)
Southlands College (Southland Balika)
Sacred Heart Convent
Sangamitta College
Rippon College
Nagoda National Royal College
All Saints College (established in 1867)
Siridamma College
Christ Church Girls' College(established in 1888)
Olcot Mix College
G/Battemulla Maha Vidyalaya,Imaduwa