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EARLY SETTLERS
Legend has it that a prince and his wife, the daughter of the King of
today’s Sri Lanka, stopped at Raa Atoll during a voyage and were
invited to stay as rulers. Later King Koimala and his wife settled in
Mal? with permission of the Giraavaru tribe, the aboriginal tribe of
Kaafu atoll. Nowadays Giraavaru people are still easily recognisable
through their clothes and hairstyle, but only a few hundred of them
are left and were resettled in Mal? in 1978. Their island, Giraavaru
has been transformed into a tourist resort. Aryans from India and Sri
Lanka are believed to have settled in the Maldives from 1500 BC
onwards - according to latest archaeological findings. “Elu”, an
archaic form of Sinhala (spoken in Sri Lanka) shows great similarities
to Dhivehi. As a favourite stop-over on the busy trade routes, the
Maldives have had many visitors and influences, trading with Arabia,
China and India with coconut, dried fish and above all the precious
cowry shell, a small white shell found on the beach, used as currency
in countries near the Indian Ocean. These shells were found as far
away as Norway or West Africa showing the extent of the trade
relations of the Maldives.
CONVERSION TO ISLAM
Mohamed Ibn Batuta, a Moroccan traveller who visited the Maldives
in the 14th century recorded an interesting legend on how the country
converted to Islam. Abul Barakaath Yoosuf Al Barbary, an Islamic
scholar, visited the Maldives during a time when people lived in fear
of the “Rannamaari”, a sea-demon, who came out of the sea once a month
threatening to destroy everything unless a virgin was sacrificed. The
unfortunate young girls were chosen by lot, had to stay in a temple
near the seashore and were found raped and dead in the morning. The
daughter of the house he was staying at had been selected to be the
victim and he decided to save her. Disguised as a girl he spent the
night in the temple reciting continuously from the Holy Quran. In the
morning when people went to find out the fate of the chosen girl they
were amazed to find him alive and still reciting the Quran. When the
King found out that the demon had been defeated through the power of
the Holy Quran he embraced Islam and ordered all the subjects to
follow him.
MALDIVIAN HEROES
The Portuguese had a keen interest in the Maldives due to the
availability of cowry shells, and ambergris, an important ingredient
in perfumes, and had been approached by the formerly expelled Sultan,
Hassan IX to help him regain his throne. Three attempts were repelled
mainly due to Ali Rasgefaanu, who proved to be a brave and tough
fighter. He became Sultan Ali VI but only for a few months as he was
killed during another Portuguese attack, dying a martyr’s death. His
tomb, built at the very spot where he died in the sea is now on dry
land due to the reclamation of land in Malé. Martyr’s day, a public
holiday, has been devoted to him. The next 15 years saw the darkest
period in Maldivian history, when the Portuguese tried to enforce
Christianity upon the islanders. Mohamed Thakurufaanu and his two
brothers from the island of Utheemu, used a form of guerilla warfare
for eight long years, during which one of the brothers was caught and
beheaded. Their strategy was to land on an island at night, kill the
Portuguese in a surprise attack and sail off before dawn. Thakurufaanu
sought the help of the Malabari, killed the Portuguese leader Andreas
Andre, locally known as Andiri Andirin, and recaptured Malé. He was
made Sultan and reigned for 12 years forming a trained standing army,
introducing coins, improving trade and religious observance and
founding a dynasty that lasted for 132 years.
THE BRITISH PROTECTORATE
On December 16, 1887 the Sultan of the Maldives signed a contract
with the British Governor of Ceylon turning the Maldives into a
British protectorate. The British government promised the Maldives
military protection and non-interference in local administration in
exchange for an annual tribute paid by the Maldives. In 1957 the
British established a RAF base in the strategic southernmost atoll of
Addu for £2000 a year, where hundreds of locals were employed. 19
years later the British government decided to give up the base, as it
was too expensive to maintain.
INDEPENDENCE
The Maldives gained independence on July 26, 1965.Three years
later a republic was declared with Prime Minister Ibrahim Nasir as the
first president. In 1978 President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom became
president and has been re-elected thrice since then.A coup attempt in
1988 by Sri Lankan mercenaries was successfully repelled. Small as it
is the Maldives has always maintained independence and a strong unity
despite influences and threats from outside. They are now an
internationally renowned country, a member of the UN, WHO, SAARC,
Commonwealth, the Non-Aligned Movement and others and play an
important role in advocating the security of small nations and the
protection of the environment. |
History 
Information provided by Maldives Tourism Promotion Board,
Ministry of Tourism, Republic of Maldives.
