Maldives
History
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 Malé 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 Malé 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.
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