History of Maldives
According to legends, the first settlers of the Maldives were people known as Dheyvis. The first Kingdom of
the Maldives was known as Dheeva Maari. During the 3rd century BCE visit of emissaries, it was noted that the
Maldives was known as Dheeva Mahal. During c. 1100 – 1166, the Maldives was also referred to as Diva
Kudha and the Laccadive archipelago which was a part of the Maldives was then referred to as Diva Kanbar by
the scholar and polymath al-Biruni (973–1048). Medieval Muslim travellers such as Ibn Battuta called the
islands Maḥal Dībīyāt ( )محل ديبيةfrom the Arabic word maḥal ("palace"). This is the name currently inscribed
on the scroll in the Maldives state emblem. The classical Persian/Arabic name for the Maldives is Dibajat. The
Dutch referred to the islands as the Maldivische Eilanden (pronounced [mɑlˈdivisə ˈʔɛilɑndə(n)]), while the
British anglicised the local name for the islands first to the "Maldive Islands" and later to "Maldives". The
history of the Maldives is intertwined with the history of the broader Indian subcontinent and the surrounding
regions, comprising the areas of South Asia and Indian Ocean; and the modern nation consisting of 26 natural
atolls, comprising 1194 islands. Historically, the Maldives held a strategic importance due to its location on the
major marine routes of the Indian Ocean.[1] The Maldives' nearest neighbours are the British Indian Ocean
Territory, Sri Lanka and India. The United Kingdom, Sri Lanka and some Indian kingdoms have had cultural
and economic ties with the Maldives for centuries.[1] In addition to these countries, Maldivians also traded with
Aceh and many other kingdoms in, what is today, Indonesia and Malaysia. The Maldives provided the main
source of cowrie shells, then used as a currency throughout Asia and parts of the East African coast. Most
probably Maldives were influenced by Kalingas of ancient India who were earliest sea traders to Sri Lanka and
the Maldives from India and were responsible for the spread of Buddhism. Stashes of Chinese crockery found
buried in various locations in the Maldives also show that there was direct or indirect trade contact between
China and the Maldives. In 1411 and 1430, the Chinese admiral Zheng He 鄭 和 visited the Maldives. The
Chinese also became the first country to establish a diplomatic office in the Maldives, when the Chinese
nationalist government based in Taipei opened an embassy in Malé in 1966. This office has since been replaced
by the embassy of the People's Republic of China.
Ancient history and settlement
In the 6th–5th century BCE, the Maldives already had their kingdoms.The country has an established history of
over 2,500 years according to historical evidence and legends. The Mahāvaṃsa (300 BCE) has records of
people from Sri Lanka emigrating to the Maldives. Assuming that cowrie shells come from the Maldives,
historians believe that there may have been people living in the Maldives during the Indus Valley civilisation
(3300–1300 BCE). A number of artefacts show the presence of Hinduism in the country before the Islamic
period. According to the book Kitāb fi āthār Mīdhu al-qādimah ( ( )كتاب في آثار ميذو القديمةOn the Ancient
Ruins of Meedhoo), written in the 17th century in Arabic by Allama Ahmed Shihabuddine (Allama Shihab al-
Din) of Meedhoo in Addu Atoll, the first settlers of the Maldives were people known as Dheyvis. They came
from the Kalibanga in India. The time of their arrival is unknown but it was before Emperor Asoka's kingdom
in 269–232 BCE. Shihabuddin's story tallies remarkably well with the recorded history of South Asia and that
of the copperplate document of the Maldives known as Loamaafaanu. The Maapanansa, the copper plates on
which recorded the history of the first Kings of the Maldives from the Solar Dynasty, were lost quite early on. A
4th-century notice written by Ammianus Marcellinus (362 CE) speaks of gifts sent to the Roman emperor
Julian by a deputation from the nation of Divi.The ancient history of the Maldives is told in copperplates,
ancient scripts carved on coral artefacts, traditions, language and different ethnicities of Maldivians. The first
Maldivians did not leave any archaeological artefacts. Their buildings were probably built of wood, palm
fronds, and other perishable materials, which would have quickly decayed in the salt and wind of the tropical
climate. Moreover, chiefs or headmen did not reside in elaborate stone palaces, nor did their religion require the
construction of large temples or compounds. Comparative studies of Maldivian oral, linguistic, and cultural
traditions confirm that the first settlers were people from the southern shores of the neighbouring Indian
subcontinent, including the Giraavaru people, mentioned in ancient legends and local folklore about the
establishment of the capital and kingly rule in Malé. A strong underlying layer of Dravidian and North Indian
cultures survives in Maldivian society, with a clear Elu substratum in the language, which also appears in place
names, kinship terms, poetry, dance, and religious beliefs. The North Indian system was brought by the
original Sinhalese from Sri Lanka. Malabar and Pandya seafaring culture led to the settlement of the Islands by
Tamil and Malabar seafarers.
Kingdom of Adeetta Vansa
The Kingdom of Adeetta Vansa (Solar Dynasty) formed in Dheeva maari ruled until the establishment of the
Kingdom of Soma Vansa (Lunar Dynasty). Soma Vansa was born in Kalinja, and Adeetta Vansa was born in
Kalinja as well. This kingdom was founded by the son of a Soma Vansa monarch who ruled in Kalinja at the
time. Dheeva Mahal turned to Islam over a century and a half later. Sri Balaadeettiya was the first king of Soma
Vansa. Queen Damahaar, his wife, was the final queen of Adeetta Vansa. So, while the dynasty's name was
altered to Soma Vansa, the monarchs were still related to both Soma Vansa and Adeetta Vansa.
Kingdom of Soma Vansa
At the start of the Soma Vansa dynasty, the Indian ruler Raja Dada invaded Dheeva Mahal's northern two atolls,
Malikatholhu and Thiladunmathi, and took control of them. Sri Loakaabarana, (his son) Sri Maha Sandura, and
his brother Sri Bovana Aananda were the most recent five monarchs of Soma Vansa before to the advent of
Islam. After his brother, Sri Maha Sandura, passed away, he ascended to the crown.
Buddhist period
Despite being just mentioned briefly in most history books, the 1,400 year-long Buddhist period has a
foundational importance in the history of the Maldives. It was during this period that the culture of the
Maldives both developed and flourished, a culture that survives today. The Maldivian language, early Maldive
scripts, architecture, ruling institutions, customs, and manners of the Maldivians originated at the time when the
Maldives were a Buddhist kingdom. The ancient Maldivian Kings promoted Buddhism, and the first Maldive
writings and artistic achievements, in the form of highly developed sculpture and architecture, originate from
that period. Nearly all archaeological remains in the Maldives are from Buddhist stupas and monasteries, and
all artefacts found to date display characteristic Buddhist iconography. Buddhist (and Hindu) temples were
Mandala shaped. They are oriented according to the four cardinal points with the main gate facing east. Local
historian Hassan Ahmed Maniku counted as many as 59 islands with Buddhist archaeological sites in a
provisional list he published in 1990.
Islamic period
The importance of the Arabs as traders in the Indian Ocean by the 12th century may partly explain why the last
Buddhist king of the Maldives, Dhovemi, converted to Islam in the year 1153 (or 1193). Adopting the Muslim
title of Sultan Muhammad al-Adil, he initiated a series of six Islamic dynasties that lasted until 1932 when the
sultanate became elective. The formal title of the sultan up to 1965 was, Sultan of Land and Sea, Lord of the
twelve-thousand islands and Sultan of the Maldives which came with the style Highness. A Muslim from
Berbera in Somalia, Abu al-Barakat Yusuf al-Barbari (Yusuf bin Ahmad al-Kawneyn) is traditionally cited for
this conversion. According to the story told to Ibn Battutah, a mosque was built with the inscription: 'The Sultan
Ahmad Shanurazah accepted Islam at the hand of Abu al-Barakat Yusuf al-Barbari.' Some scholars have
suggested the possibility of Ibn Battuta misreading Maldive texts, and having a bias towards the North African,
Maghrebi narrative of this Shaykh, instead of the East African origins account that was known as well at the
time. Even when Ibn Battuta visited the islands, the governor of the island of Utheemu at that time was Abd
Aziz Al Mogadishawi, a Somali. Somalis have a legend which claims Abu al-Barakat Yusuf al-Barbari as a
native of Barbera, a significant trading port on the northwestern coast of Somalia. This is also seen when Ibn
Battuta visited Mogadishu, he mentions that the Sultan at that time, "Abu Bakr ibn Shaikh Omar", was a
Berber. After his conversion of the population of Dogor (now known as Aw Barkhadle), a town in Somalia, he
is also cited to have been responsible for spreading Islam in the Maldivian islands, establishing the Hukuru
Miskiy, and converting the Maldivian population to Islam. The first reference to an Iranian origin dates to an
18th-century Persian text. Following the Islamic concept that before Islam there was the time of Jahiliya
(ignorance), in the history books used by Maldivians the introduction of Islam at the end of the 12th century is
considered the cornerstone of the country's history. Nonetheless, the cultural influence of Buddhism remains, a
reality directly experienced by Ibn Battuta during his nine months there sometime between 1341 and 1345,
serving as a chief judge and marrying into the royal family of Omar I. He became embroiled in local politics
and left when his strict judgments in the laissez-faire island kingdom began to chafe with its rulers. Compared
to the other areas of South Asia, the conversion of the Maldives to Islam happened relatively late. The Maldives
remained a Buddhist kingdom for another 500 years. Arabic became the prime language of administration
(instead of Persian and Urdu), and the Maliki school of jurisprudence was introduced, both hinting at direct
contact with the core of the Arab world. Middle Eastern seafarers had just begun to take over the Indian Ocean
trade routes in the 10th century and found the Maldives to be an important link in those routes as the first
landfall for traders from Basra sailing to Southeast Asia. Trade involved mainly cowrie shells—widely used as
a form of currency throughout Asia and parts of the East African coast—and coir fibre. The Bengal Sultanate,
where cowrie shells were used as legal tender, was one of the principal trading partners of the Maldives. The
Bengal–Maldives cowry shell trade was the largest shell currency trade network in history. The other essential
product of the Maldives was coir, the fibre of the dried coconut husk, resistant to saltwater. It stitched together
and rigged the dhows that plied the Indian Ocean. Maldivian coir was exported to Sindh, China, Yemen, and
the Persian Gulf.
Protectorate period
Portuguese presence in the Maldives was established in 1558, by order of Constantino of Braganza, Viceroy of
Portuguese India. In 1558, the Portuguese established a small garrison with a Viador (Viyazoaru), or overseer
of a factory (trading post) in the Maldives, which they administered from their main colony in Goa. Their
attempts to forcefully impose Christianity with the threat of death provoked a local revolt led by Muhammad
Thakurufaanu al-A'uẓam, his two brothers and Dhuvaafaru Dhandahele, who fifteen years later drove the
Portuguese out of the Maldives. This event is now commemorated as National Day which is known as Qaumee
Dhuvas (literally meaning "National" and "Day"). It is celebrated on 1st of Rabi' al-Awwal, the third month of
Hijri (Islamic) calendar. The British expelled the Dutch from Ceylon in 1796 and included the Maldives as a
British protectorate. The status of the Maldives as a British protectorate was officially recorded in an 1887
agreement in which the sultan Muhammad Mueenuddeen II accepted British influence over Maldivian external
relations and defence while retaining home rule, which continued to be regulated by Muslim traditional
institutions in exchange for an annual tribute. In the British period, the Sultan's powers were taken over by the
Chief Minister, much to the chagrin of the British Governor-General who continued to deal with the
ineffectual Sultan. Consequently, Britain encouraged the development of a constitutional monarchy, and the
first Constitution was proclaimed in 1932. The Maldives remained a British crown protectorate until 1953
when the sultanate was suspended, and the First Republic was declared under the short-lived presidency of
Muhammad Amin Didi. While serving as prime minister during the 1940s, Didi nationalized the fish export
industry. As president, he is remembered as a reformer of the education system and an advocate of women's
rights. Conservatives in Malé ousted his government, and during a riot over food shortages, Didi was beaten by
a mob and died on a nearby island. Beginning in the 1950s, the political history in the Maldives was largely
influenced by the British military presence on the islands. In 1954, the restoration of the sultanate perpetuated
the rule of the past. Two years later, the United Kingdom obtained permission to reestablish its wartime RAF
Gan airfield in the southernmost Addu Atoll, employing hundreds of locals. In 1957, however, the new prime
minister, Ibrahim Nasir, called for a review of the agreement. Nasir was challenged in 1959 by a local
secessionist movement in the three southernmost atolls that benefited economically from the British presence
on Gan. This group cut ties with the Maldives government and formed an independent state, the United
Suvadive Republic with Abdullah Afeef as president and Hithadhoo as its capital. One year later the Suvadive
republic was scrapped after Nasir sent gunboats from Malé with government police, and Abdulla Afif went into
exile. Meanwhile, in 1960 the Maldives allowed the United Kingdom to continue to use both the Gan and the
Hithadhoo facilities for thirty years, with the payment of £750,000 from 1960 to 1965 for the Maldives'
economic development. The base was closed in 1976 as part of the larger British withdrawal of permanently
stationed forces 'East of Suez'.
Independence and republic
When the British became increasingly unable to continue their colonial hold on Asia and were losing their
colonies to the indigenous populations who wanted freedom, on 26 July 1965 an agreement was signed on
behalf of the Sultan by Ibrahim Nasir Rannabandeyri Kilegefan, Prime Minister, and on behalf of the British
government by Sir Michael Walker, British Ambassador-designate to the Maldive Islands, which formally
ended the British authority on the defence and external affairs of the Maldives. The islands thus achieved
independence, with the ceremony taking place at the British High Commissioner's Residence in Colombo. After
this, the sultanate continued for another three years under Sir Muhammad Fareed Didi, who declared himself
King upon independence. On 15 November 1967, a vote was taken in parliament to decide whether the
Maldives should continue as a constitutional monarchy or become a republic. Of the 44 members of parliament,
40 voted in favour of a republic. On 15 March 1968, a national referendum was held on the question, and
93.34% of those taking part voted in favour of establishing a republic. The republic was declared on 11
November 1968, thus ending the 853-year-old monarchy, which was replaced by a republic under the
presidency of Ibrahim Nasir. Tourism began to be developed on the archipelago by the beginning of the 1970s.
Political infighting during the 1970s between Nasir's faction and other political figures led to the 1975 arrest
and exile of elected prime minister Ahmed Zaki to a remote atoll. Economic decline followed the closure of the
British airfield at Gan and the collapse of the market for dried fish, an important export. With support for his
administration faltering, Nasir fled to Singapore in 1978, with millions of dollars from the treasury. Maumoon
Abdul Gayoom began his 30-year role as president in 1978, winning six consecutive elections without
opposition. His election was seen as ushering in a period of political stability and economic development given
Maumoon's priority to develop the poorer islands. Tourism flourished and increased foreign contact spurred
development. However, Maumoon's rule was controversial, with some critics saying Maumoon was an autocrat
who quelled dissent by limiting freedoms and practising political favouritism. A series of coup attempts (in
1980, 1983, and 1988) by Nasir supporters and business interests tried to topple the government without
success. While the first two attempts met with little success, the 1988 coup attempt involved a roughly 80-
strong mercenary force of the PLOTE who seized the airport and caused Maumoon to flee from house to house
until the intervention of 1,600 Indian troops airlifted into Malé restored order. The November 1988 coup d'état
was headed by Ibrahim Lutfee, a businessman, and Sikka Ahmed Ismail Manik, the father of the former first
lady of the Maldives Fazna Ahmed. The attackers were defeated by then National Security Services of
Maldives. On the night of 3 November 1988, the Indian Air Force airlifted a parachute battalion group from
Agra and flew them over 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) to the Maldives. By the time Indian armed forces reached
the Maldives, the mercenary forces has already left Malé on the hijacked ship MV Progress Light. The Indian
paratroopers landed at Hulhulé and secured the airfield and restored the government rule at Malé within hours.
The brief operation labelled Operation Cactus also involved the Indian Navy that assisted in capturing the
freighter MV Progress Light and rescued the hostages and crew.
21st century
The Maldives were devastated by a tsunami on 26 December 2004, following the Indian Ocean earthquake.
Only nine islands were reported to have escaped any flooding, while fifty-seven islands faced serious damage
to critical infrastructure, fourteen islands had to be totally evacuated, and six islands were destroyed. A further
twenty-one resort islands were forced to close because of tsunami damage. During the later part of Maumoon's
rule, independent political movements emerged in the Maldives, which challenged the then-ruling Dhivehi
Rayyithunge Party (Maldivian People's Party, MPP) and demanded democratic reform. The dissident journalist
and activist Mohamed Nasheed founded the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) in 2003 and pressured
Maumoon into allowing gradual political reforms. In 2008, a new constitution was approved, and the first direct
presidential elections occurred, which were won by Nasheed in the second round. His administration faced
many challenges, including the huge debt left by the previous government, the economic downturn following
the 2004 tsunami, overspending by means of overprinting of local currency (the rufiyaa), unemployment,
corruption, and increasing drug use. Taxation on goods was imposed for the first time in the country, and import
duties were reduced on many goods and services. Universal health insurance (Aasandha) and social welfare
benefits were given to those aged 65 years or older, single parents, and those with special needs. Social and
political unrest grew in late 2011, following opposition campaigns in the name of protecting Islam. Nasheed
controversially resigned from office after large number of police and army mutinied in February 2012.
Nasheed's vice-president, Mohammed Waheed Hassan, was sworn in as president. Nasheed was later arrested,
convicted of terrorism, and sentenced to 13 years. The elections in late 2013 were highly contested. Former
president Nasheed won the most votes in the first round, but the Supreme Court annulled it despite the positive
assessment of international election observers. In the re-run vote Abdulla Yameen, half-brother of the former
president Maumoon, assumed the presidency. In the 2018 elections, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih won the most
votes, and was sworn in as the Maldives' new president in November 2018. Adeeb was freed by courts in Male
in July 2019 after his conviction on charges of terrorism and corruption was overruled but was placed under a
travel ban after the state prosecutor appealed the order in a corruption and money laundering case. On 30
September 2023, opposition candidate Mohamed Muizzu won the second-round runoff of the Maldives
presidential election, beating incumbent president, Ibrahim Solih, with 54% of the vote. On 17 October 2023,
Mohamed Muizzu was sworn in as the eighth President of the Republic of Maldives. President Mohamed
Muizzu is widely seen to be pro-China, meaning souring relations with India.
Growth of Islamic radicalism
Though the popular image of the Maldives is that of a holiday paradise, its radicalised youths are enlisting in
significant numbers to fight for Islamic State militants in the Middle East. In the late 1990s Wahhabism
challenged more traditional moderate practices. After the 2004 tsunami, Saudi-funded preachers gained
influence. Within a short period of a decade fundamentalist practices dominated the culture.The Guardian
estimates that 50–100 fighters have joined ISIS and al Qaeda from the Maldives. The Financial Times puts the
number at 200. Most radicals are young men who suffer from lethargy, unemployment, drug abuse, and the
need to prove their masculinity. Radicalization often happens in jail where the "only thing to read is the Qur'an
or religious literature. There are also lots of older militants and young guys look up to them."
Ibrahim Mohamed Solih presidency
Ibrahim Mohamed Solih was selected as the new presidential candidate for the coalition of opposition parties in
the 2018 election, when former president Mohamed Nasheed changed his mind about running. In the 2018
elections Ibrahim Mohamed Solih won the most votes, and he sworn in as the Maldives new president on 17
November 2018, when the five-year term of Abdulla Yameen expired. Solih became the 7th President of the
Maldives and the country's third democratically elected president. He promised to fight against widespread
corruption and investigate the human rights abuses of the previous regime. There was also a change in foreign
relations. His predecessor Abdulla Yameen was politically very close to China with some "anti-India" attitude,
but president Solih reaffirmed previous "India-First Policy", and Maldives and India strengthened their close
relationship. On 19 November 2018, Solih announced that the Maldives is to return to the Commonwealth of
Nations, a decision recommended by his Cabinet, considering that the Maldives was a republic in the
Commonwealth of Nations from 1982 to 2016. On 1 February 2020, Maldives officially re-joined the
Commonwealth. In April 2019 parliamentary election The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) of President
Ibrahim Mohamed Solih won a landslide victory. It took 65 of 87 seats of the parliament. This was the first
time a single party was able to get such a high number of seats in the parliament in Maldivian history. Former
president Abdulla Yameen was sentenced to five years in prison in November 2019 for money laundering. The
High Court upheld the jail sentence in January 2021. The Supreme Court acquitted Yameen from the charges on
30 November 2021 due to the lack of substantial evidence.
Settlers – Kolonistët
Atolls – Atolë, jan ishuj te vegjel në form unaze
Cowrie – Kauri, guacka të vogla si porcelan
Husk – lëkura, mbështjellja e jashtme e një fruti si përshumbull arra e kokosit
Artefacts – Artefaktet
Copperplate – Kaligraf, shkrim i shkrujtur ne kaligraf ne bakër
Perishable – Që prishet, skadon
Kinship termes - termat e lidhjes së gjakut
Cornerstone – gur themeli, pik kryesore
Seafarers - Detarët
Dhows – Anije e montuar nga një ose dy direkë, e përdorur në Oqeanin Indian
Garrison – Garnizoni, trupat e vendosur për të mbrojtur kështjellen ose qytetin
Riot - Rebelim
Crown – Kurora mbretërore
Withdrawal - Tërheqje
Exile – Eksil, izolim ne migrim
Coup - Goditje e shtetit
To topple the government – Rrëzimi i qeverisë
Hijacked - Kapur me force
Hostages – Pengjet, njrëzit që mbahen peng pergjat luftes
Flooding - Përmbytje
Welfare – Mirëqenia
Mutinied – revoltuar ose nxitur në rebelim
Overruled - Nuk pranohet, kundërshtuar
Incumbent - Në detyre
Landslide victory – Fitore me shumic votash
