GALLE - The old world's romantic city

GALLE - The old world's romantic city

• Galle : "Tarshish" of the Old Testament (According to Sir James Emerson Tennant Galle was the "Tarshish" referred to in the Bible as the port where ships trading with King Soloman obtained their Elephants, Peacocks and Gemstones. Most certainly the place where the Galle Fort now stands as well as other areas in Galle like Unawatuna, Magalle, Kaluwella and even the China Gardens (which held a colony of Chinese traders several years ago) were all areas with historic connections which go back long before the Portuguese Era.)
• GALLE:  ( Centuries ago when Lanka was ruled by the Sinhalese Kings, 'Gaalla' or Galle was the old world's romantic city which owed its glory to its natural harbour. This picturesque seaside resort was the centre of trade in olden days, because of its strategic position, where sailing vessels laden with merchandize from the Western countries of Egypt, Persia, Arabia and the Eastern China, Malaysia and Singapore converged.)
• A Historic tour through the city of Galle ( In 1620 the Portuguese completed a stone defense work at the landside, securing Punto Gale (Point of Galle) from the north. This bastion was called Sao Iago (Saint James). By 1625 three bastions were completed. On 4 August 1667 Sao Iago was renamed by the Dutch into Zon (Sun))
• Dutch Reformed Church (Dutch Reformed Church was introduced to Sri Lanka by the VOC with its first church ministrations held in Galle on 6th October, 1642, almost 360 years ago. Its consistory in Colombo was established in 1658 marking the beginning of protestant church or what they called 'True Christian Reformed Church'.)
• Galle Church  Burial Chambers and Vaults ("the body of General Hulft was received in Galle three days after his untimely death .... and placed within a masonry catalogue in De Groot Kerk for one year. Thereafter, it was lowered into a grave on the right of the pulpit within the Church the General s arms and spurs being hung on the wall, over the grave. The following year, 1658, the Dutch conquest of coastal Ceylon being complete, the body of Hulft was removed to the State Dutch Church, within the Colombo Fort, where it was placed in a tomb".)
• GALLE: A PORT CITY IN HISTORY ( Papers from the Seminar GALLE: A PORT CITY IN HISTORY )
• National Maritime Museum - Galle ( National Maritime Museum established in 1992, housed in the Great Dutch-built Warehouse of 1671 near the Old Gate of Galle Fort, the museum displays a variety of exhibits connected with sea-faring, maritime trade, fishing and sea-life.)