Women on the Wall

The Flagrock Bastion, Rampart Street, Galle Fort. In the distance is Point Utrecht, with the lighthouse built by the British in 1939 and, below it, the Meeran Jumma Masjid, a mosque built in 1904, in the distinct style of a Portuguese baroque cathedral. Shot on assignment for Panos Pictures and The Global Fund, in January 2022.*

^{*shot on a Canon EOS 5DMkIV & EF 24-105/f4L, courtesy Canon/Metropolitan.}

Morning at Point Utrecht #2

Named after Utrecht, in the Netherlands, the hometown of the first Dutch Reformed priest to arrive in Galle in 1641, this bastion dominates the approaches to Galle Bay and its harbour. By 1760, it had six cannons installed, and also protected a gunpowder magazine which can still be seen today. The building on the left is the Meeran Jumma Masjid or Mosque, built in 1904 in the style of a Portuguese Baroque cathedral. The lighthouse was erected by the British in 1939, after the original one — the first lighthouse in Sri Lanka, built in 1848 — was destroyed in a fire. The fort itself is a UNESCO heritage site and dates back to original fortifications built by the Portuguese in 1505. It was then captured by the Dutch East India Company in 1640 and extensively expanded and reinforced over the next century. In 1796, the fort was captured by the British 70th Surrey Regiment of Foot under Capt Lachlan Macquarie who would later, as a major general, become the fifth governor of New South Wales. Shot in September 2016 from the Vlagklip Bastion. For more on the Galle Fort, including photographs, see my cover story, Climbing the Walls, in the January 2016 issue of Serendib, the inflight magazine of SriLankan Airlines.

6D+EF24-105/4L@28mm,1/500,f/11,ISO100

Posted in cityscapes, conservation, creations, explorations, issues, journalism, landscapes, life, seascapes, tourism, urban, water, waterscapesTagged 24-105mm, 6D, bastion, British colonial period, Dutch colonial period, exploration, fortress, Galle, Galle Fort, Galle Harbour, history, Indian Ocean, landscape, legacy, lighthouse, Meeran Jumma Masjid, morning, Point Utrecht, Portuguese Baroque architecture, ramparts, sea, seascape, seaside, Sri Lanka, stone, sunrise, tourism, travel, Vlagklip Bastion, walls

Sunrise Over Point Utrecht

Named after Utrecht, in the Netherlands, the hometown of the first Dutch Reformed priest to arrive in Galle in 1641, this bastion dominates the approaches to Galle Bay and its harbour. By 1760, it had six cannons installed, and also protected a gunpowder magazine which can still be seen today. The building on the left is the Meeran Jumma Masjid or Mosque, built in 1904 in the style of a Portuguese Baroque cathedral. The lighthouse was erected by the British in 1939, after the original one — the first lighthouse in Sri Lanka, built in 1848 — was destroyed in a fire. The fort itself is a UNESCO heritage site and dates back to original fortifications built by the Portuguese in 1505. It was then captured by the Dutch East India Company in 1640 and extensively expanded and reinforced over the next century. In 1796, the fort was captured by the British 70th Surrey Regiment of Foot under Capt Lachlan Macquarie who would later, as a major general, become the fifth governor of New South Wales. Shot in May 2015 from the Vlagklip Bastion with a Canon EOS 600D, EF-S 18-200mm lens, and a Hoya polarising filter, at 18mm, 1/2500, f/3.5, and ISO 100.

Posted in cityscapes, explorations, landscapes, urbanTagged 18-200mm, 600D, 70th Surrey Regiment, beach, black & white, British colonial period, Dutch colonial period, Galle, Galle Fort, Hoya, Indian Ocean, Lachlan Macquarie, lighthouse, Meeran Jumma Masjid, morning, mosque, Point Utrecht, Portuguese Baroque architecture, ramparts, reflections, rocks, sea, Sri Lanka, sunrise, suntrack, Vlagklip Bastion, walls, water, waves