Galle was a significant seaport well before the Europeans’ arrival; Moroccan traveller Ibn Battuta visited in 1342 and a stone tablet records the second visit of Chinese Admiral Zheng He (Chong Ho) in 1411. Cinnamon was exported from Sri Lanka as early as 1400 BC; the Portuguese used Galle as their base for exporting the spice in the early 16th century and started building the fort to protect themselves from the local Sinhalese.
The Dutch, who followed in the 17th century built the main structure of the fort before the British added to it in the 19th century. It is now a World Heritage site. Our hotel started off as a grand Dutch home and warehouse to which the British added a regency top floor. It was renovated to become a hotel in the early 2000s.
Outside the fort is Galle cricket ground which was virtually destroyed by the 2004 tsunami – the fort itself was afforded considerable protection by the ramparts, although it suffered a lot of more cosmetic damage much of which is yet to be repaired. In 2010 Muralitharan took his 800th test wicket at Galle.
Shilli-Fully Travels 