History of the Gem trade in Sri Lanka

Galle is the ancient port city of Sri Lanka (Ceylon), with a history dating back to probably two millennia. Sir Emerson Tennent thought that the city of Galle in Sri Lanka was the Biblical Tarshish from which King Solomon obtained Ivory, Apes and Peacoks. Arabian Travellers called the city Kalah which was a seaport lying between China and Persia, and was a great emporium of trade in the East. Ships of all nations met there and exchanged commodities. The Arab traders exchanged cotton, silk, gold and silver for ivory, precious and semi-precious stones (Gems) and spices, which were abundantly found in Sri Lanka. Arab traders settled in Sri Lanka in the 8th century-AD.

 

 

The port of Galle was much frequented in the middle ages too. It was the chief landmark of eastern navigators. There is an area called China Garden in Galle where Chinese traders once resided, and a Chinese inscription was discovered in Galle which recorded the dealings of the Chinese in Sri Lanka .Ibn Batuta the famous Arab traveller visited Sri Lanka in 1344,and in Galle he found a well established Moor Community engaged in the trading of spices, ivory, gems and jewelry. It is from the port city of Galle that Ibn Batuta embarked on an ancient ship that took him to the Maldives a group of atolls situated about 500km South West from Sri Lanka

 

The Portuguese landed in Galle Sri Lanka in the year 1505 and built a fortress. It is from Galle,they extended their colonization to cover the maritime areas of Sri Lanka.

The Dutch captured the Fort of Galle from the Portuguese in1640 and ousted the Portuguese from the other parts of the Island. They held the port city of Galle which they referred to as Point de Galle for 155 years. The Dutch rebuilt the Galle Fort immediately after its capture from the Portuguese. Considerable improvements were also made to the Fort in the years 1641,1661 and 1668.The Dutch Fort as it stands today is the same Fort which was completed in the year 1668

The British captured the Port City of Galle from the Dutch in 1795 and set up their Headquarters for the whole of Sri Lanka (Ceylon) in the well fortified Dutch Fort of Galle.

The Port City of Galle was the capital of Sri Lanka (Ceylon) during the Portuguese period, Dutch period and part of  the British period. The British shifted the capital to Colombo in 1868.

In 1948 the British granted independence to Sri Lanka (Ceylon) after ruling the country for a period of 150 years.

The Dutch Fort in Galle, Sri Lanka which still stands today as it was in the year 1668,was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988