Moorish connection...Iran

Ancient Sinhala chronicles refer to princes of the Sinhala court riding horses that came from Persia (Iran). In Anuradhapura special stables were assigned for theses prize imports from Iran.
Iran has the earliest known saints connected with Srilanka, Abdullah Ibn Khafif whose tomb is in Shiraz. It was visited by the Moroccan Ibn Battuta who describes in his book: “Travels in Asia and Africa 1325-1354” the visit of “the Great Shaykh” Ibn Khafif to Srilanka;

He occupies a high place among the saints and the following story is told of him.

“One day he went to the mountain of serendib (Adam’s peak) in the island of Ceylon, accompanied by about 30 darwishes. They were overcome by hunger on the way, in an uninhabited locality, and lost their bearings.”

“They asked the shaykh to allow them to seize one of them small elephants, of which there are very large number in that place and which are transported hence to the king of India. The shaykh forbade them, but their hunger got the better of them and they disobeyed him and, seizing a small elephant, killed and ate it. The shaykh, however, refused to eat it.”

“That night as they slept the elephants gathered from all quarters and came upon them, smelling each one of them and killing him until they made an end of them all. They smelled the shaykh too but offered no violence to him; one of them lifted him with its drunk, put him on its back and brought him to the inhabited district.”

“When the people of that part saw him, they marvelled at him and came out to meet him and hear his story. As it came near them, the elephant lifted him with his trunk and placed him on the ground in full view of them….”

Describing his so journey in srilanka (p.256) Ibn Battuta states: “after passing the small town of Badar salwat (chillaw) our way lay through rugged country intersected with streams. In this part there are many elephants, but they do no harm to pilgrims and strangers, through the blessed favour of the Shaykh Abu Abdulla, who was the first to open up this road for the pilgrimage to the foot.”

“these infidels used formally to prevent Muslims from making this pilgrimage and would maltreat them, and neither eat nor trade with them but since the adventure that happened to the shaykh, as we have related above, they honour the Muslims allow them to enter their houses, eat with them, and have no suspicions regarding their dealings with their wives and children. To this day continue to pay the greatest veneration to this shaykh, and call him “the Great Shaykh”.