Data and facts at a glance

Legends about the Maldives
Even today, little is known about the older history of the Maldives. The traditions mix historical events with legends.

There are still stories today about a legendary Aryan prince named Koimala, who upon his arrival in the Maldives met locals who then named him king. It can be assumed with fair certainty that the indigenous people of the Maldives belonged to a tribe that came from southern India or Sri Lanka and that the islands were inhabited around the 4th or 5th century BC. were settled. Numerous ships, most of which came from Arab countries and West Africa, saw the Maldives as a welcome stopover on their routes. Some crew members were so fascinated by the beauty of the Maldives that they settled down. For this reason, the current inhabitants of some islands are more similar to Arabs and Africans than to the territorially closer Sinhalese (today's Sri Lanka) or the southern Indians.

The first evidence of the existence of the Maldives dates back to 150 BC. back. At that time they were known as islands west of Ceylon, now Sri Lanka. The name Maldives comes from Sanskrit: Malodheep. This means something like garland and alludes to the arrangement of the islands.

Cosma Indicopleute, a trader from Alexandria (also known as an Indian sailor) who is still known today, wrote a topography around 535 AD in which he mentioned the Maldives for the first time. He spoke of countless islands with fresh water and coconut palms. In addition, the Maldives are said to have been ruled by a queen at this time.

An indispensable date in Maldivian history is the year 1153, when the country turned to Islam. Until this point, the predominant religion on the islands was Buddhism, which is still evidenced by numerous Buddhist temples, especially in the north of the country. According to tradition, an Arab named Al Barbari from Morocco visited the Maldives in 1153. He saw how the natives wanted to sacrifice a virgin to a demon called Jinni who came from the sea. The Arab took the place of the maiden and read from the Koran all night long. This drove the demon away and he disappeared forever. According to legend, this was the trigger for the islanders to become followers of Islam. From then on the Arab was revered everywhere like a saint. His grave site is still an important place of worship today and is located in the garden of the presidential palace on Malé.

After converting to Islam, the Maldives was ruled by 93 sultans. The first, Kalaminja, took the name Mohamed Ibn Abdullah after converting to Islam and ruled for 25 years. According to tradition, he disappeared during a pilgrimage to Mecca. He was the founder of the first dynasty called Theemunge, which ruled for a total of 235 years with 26 sultans. The second great dynasty of Helaki lasted for 170 years, during which a total of 29 sultans ruled the country. The last Sultan of this dynasty went down in history as Ali the Martyr. He died courageously fighting the Portuguese invasion in 1558.

The Portuguese quickly overcame the small Maldivian army and gained a foothold in Male. After this seizure of power, they attempted to Christianize the Maldivians, but failed due to resistance from the islanders and the difficult sea conditions. The greatest resistance came from Utheem Island in Thiladunmathee Atoll. Under the leadership of the three brothers Mohamed, Ali and Hassan, a guerrilla war was waged on various islands and the occupiers' garrisons were attacked and destroyed. During these battles, Ali was captured and beheaded. The other two brothers, however, managed to go ashore in Malé. There they killed the then commander Andreas Andre and thus destroyed the entire crew. The Portuguese occupation had lasted for 15 years. After the breakup, the Maldives were free. In 1752 Male was attacked and captured by pirates from the Indian coast of Malabar. The Sultan's palace was burned down and almost half of the island was looted and devastated. The then Sultan of Male was sent into exile.

Since the Maldivians were constantly exposed to further threats of invasion, they ultimately placed themselves under the protection of Ceylon (today's Sri Lanka). However, she was able to maintain her autonomy. They retained this even when the Maldives became a British protectorate in 1887. The English received the use of the island of Gan in exchange for military protection. This island near the equator remained a Royal Air Force base until 1976. Some facilities on the island can still be visited today.

The Maldives gained independence on July 26, 1965. A little later, on November 11, 1968, the republic was proclaimed. Today, the Maldives is governed by an elected president who is head of the executive branch and the 48 members of parliament.