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by Rohan Canagasabey.

As the train from Colombo reaches Galle in three hours and one leaves the precincts of the station, the look of the town does not appear to justify any of the historical importance attached to it.

Below the lighthouse on the ramparts, a couple of tourists are offered lace by a vendor. But lace is not as much in demand by foreigners, as houses within the Galle Fort.

To discover that, one has to enter the little town within Galle Fort. The ancient town has seen many changes and upheavals during the last few centuries, but perhaps none like the quiet one that it is presently experiencing.

The Portuguese captured Galle from the Sinhala Kings in 1587, only to succumb to the Dutch in 1640. The Dutch considerably enhanced the Portuguese fortifications says Norah Roberts, a long-time resident of Galle who spent ten years researching its history. Ten bastions, on the ramparts enclosed the quaint town. The concept of fortified towns in Ceylon had been introduced earlier by the Portuguese, but without success in their case.

All Dutch possessions in Ceylon passed to the British by treaty in 1796, including a legacy of Dutch style tropical houses and grander administrative buildings, within Galle Fort. The British continued to use Galle as Ceylon's chief port, until Colombo superseded it, around 1880 (Roberts, 1993). When the British moved from Galle Fort to Colombo, the Muslim community began to establish a presence there, though there had remained until as relatively recently as the end of WW2, a sizeable Dutch Burgher community.

A Muslim man in front of a Mosque, watching a small flock of crows pick at lumps of rice laid out for them on the wide ramparts. Perhaps the man may later reflect on what may be left of his community within a few years when the buying of available houses is over.

Today, reports indicate that the Muslim community accounts for 80 per cent of Galle Fort's population, while the majority Sinhalese community account for the remaining 20 per cent Norah Roberts notes that "inside the Fort surrounded by Dutch ramparts, life still moves leisurely at dusk when the offices and schools are closed and kindly ghosts move up and down in quiet Galle Fort town..." in her appropriately titled book, Galle as quiet as asleep (1993). And so it appeared to me, during my recent visit there, though I must confess I did not come across any ghosts, whilst walking through the little town and atop the wide grass-covered ramparts surrounding it, the latter being also the recreation area for residents.

The combination of historical and architectural significance has led Galle Fort to be declared a World Heritage Site. This attracted World Bank funding for renovations completed to the Court complex. The existence of justice and other Government departments located within the Fort is the main reason why people outside the Fort disturb its otherwise tranquil atmosphere. Consequently the authorities are constructing a multi-storey building in the town outside the Fort and are apparently aiming to move all government departments within the Fort out within one to five years. There are reportedly also plans in the future to make the Fort town, a pedestrian-only zone, apart from access to residents' vehicles.

However, this is not the quiet upheaval I mentioned at the start. Since 1998, information received, indicates that local owners of Dutch colonial-period houses, numbering over 300, have sold at least 30 to foreigners. Sabri Khalid, who is one of the two main brokers, reasoned that a combination of the high purchasing power of the buyers, the lack of funds by the residents to renovate their houses to the approved historical standard and the changing economic circumstances that see key members of family working outside Galle, have led to these changes.

The view from the backyard of a two-storey colonial era house, in need of repair, but perhaps beyond the means of its present owners.

Sabri, who offers his foreign buyers a package, which includes reconstruction and management of the property, said that he had sold eight houses to foreigners since October of last year, charging commissions from both the seller and the buyer. Sellers and buyers are referred to him by word-of-mouth. The highest value sale in Galle Fort was reported to be 20 million rupees, most of which are between 10 to 15 perches in land area. "I sold a 7 perches property with a sea view, in November 2002, for 7.5 million rupees" said Sabri, also showing me the business cards of his buyers, who were mostly British expatriate top executives, based in Singapore or Hong Kong, though a couple were from the UK.

A young British expatriate couple, Jack and Jo Eden, who were the first foreigners to buy a property in Galle Fort, now run a property management company in Sri Lanka for foreign buyers and recently had three properties within Galle Fort available to let, included in their website (www.villasinsrilanka.com).

A visitor to the website can view images depicting the high standard to which the foreign owners have reconstructed their properties. Prices start at US$150-250 per night for a house. This website was also mentioned with regard to the availability of houses to buy and rent in Galle Fort, in an article on the tourism potential of Sri Lanka, which appeared on November 27, 2002, in the UK's Daily Mail newspaper.

Meanwhile, the overwhelming Muslim community within Galle Fort town is according to Sabri Khalid, divided on the issue of foreign purchases of their houses, considering whether it will lead to the end of their community that includes Muslim schools.

Sabri though, is keen to keep selling houses - but not his parents' house - and confidently predicts if there is sufficient supply, there will be demand to see 50 per cent of these historical Dutch colonial-period houses fall to foreign buyers within 5 years and possibly 90 per cent within 15 years.

AThe tranquillity that attracts foreigners to Galle Fort is evident as a man cycles along a deserted street beside which stand two renovated colonial-era houses.

This scenario will probably also see a local private school for the children of the foreign buyers, if in the future they choose to reside there, rather than as at present spend a few weeks on vacation amidst the safety and historical tranquillity of Galle Fort town. In effect a new foreign colony, albeit armed with the power of money rather than arms of old. If so will it prove to be the final chapter in the long history of Galle Fort?

Another development to be undertaken within the Fort is the reported conversion of the New Oriental Hotel into one of the most luxurious hotels in Sri Lanka and the region. Whether in the future, tourists who stay there or visit, will be appreciative of these winds of change within Galle Fort, that may result in a largely British community living in seclusion, in place of the present indigenous population, remains to be seen.

Moreover, would tourists be allowed to view the admittedly fine restoration work on the houses purchased by foreigners, or will access be granted only to those who rent these properties, when available to let? These colonial-era houses, irrespective of new foreign buyers, are part of Sri Lanka's history!

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