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The
first inhabitants probably arrived in the archipelago
from Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and southern India before 500
BC. One theory is that the islands were at the trading
crossroads of several maritime nations as early as 2000
BC. Maldivians believe that an ancient race of sun-worshipping
people called the Redin were the first settlers, and
left a heritage of beliefs and customs involving evil
spirits, or jinnis, still evident today.
The
Redin left around 500 BC or were absorbed by Buddhists
from Ceylon and by Hindus from India. Because building
materials were limited, each group built its important
structures on top of those left by previous inhabitants.
This is why many Maldivian mosques are oriented towards
the sun and not Mecca. Arab traders en route to the
Far East recorded visits to the Maldives from the 2nd
century AD. Known as the 'Money Isles', they provided
enormous quantities of cowrie shells, an international
currency of the early ages.
The conversion to Islam, in 1153 AD, is a watershed
in Maldivian history. According to legend, a sea jinni
called Rannamaari demanded regular sacrifices of young
virgin girls in Malé. Abu Al Barakat, a visiting
North African Arab took the place of a sacrificial virgin,
and drove the demon away by reading from the Koran,
the Islamic holy book. The Maldivian king at the time
was sold on Islam, and Barakat later became the first
sultan. A series of six sultanic dynasties followed
- 84 sultans and sultanas in all. At one stage, when
the Portuguese first arrived in the 16th century, there
were actually two ruling dynasties: the Malei and the
Hilali.
The
Portuguese, eager for a greater share of the profitable
trade routes of the Indian Ocean, were granted permission
to build a fort and a factory in Malé, but it
wasn' t long before they wanted more from the Maldives.
In 1558, Captain Andreas Andre led a Portuguese invasion
which killed Sultan Ali VI. Andre ruled Malé
and much of the country for the next 15 years. Portuguese
occupation came to a sticky end in 1573 when an island
chief, Mohammed Thakurufaan, led an attack on the main
Portuguese garrison and slew the lot.
 In
the 17th century, the Maldives came under the protection
of the Dutch and later the British, but neither established
a colonial administration. In the 1860s Borah merchants
from Bombay set up warehouses and shops in Malé,
and quickly acquired an almost exclusive monopoly on
foreign trade. Sultan Mohammed Mueenuddin II, weary
of the Borahs' economic grip, signed an agreement with
the British in 1867 which guaranteed the islands' full
independence. The Maldives subsequently became a British
protectorate, and allowed the British to establish defence
facilities.
The
sultanate became an elected rather than a hereditary
position when the islands' first constitution was drawn
up in 1932. In 1953 the sultanate was abolished and
a republic proclaimed with Amin Didi as the first president.
Less than a year later Didi was overthrown; the sultanate
was returned with Mohammed Farid Didi elected as the
94th sultan of the Maldives. Around the same time, the
British secured permission to re-establish its wartime
airfield on Addu Atoll in the far south of the country.
In 1956 the Royal Air Force began developing the base
as a staging post, employing hundreds of Maldivians
and undertaking the resettlement of the Gan islanders.
But when Ibrahim Nasir was elected prime minister in
1957 he immediately called for a review of the agreement,
demanding that the lease be shortened and the annual
payment increased.
This
was followed by an insurrection against the government
by the inhabitants of Addu and Suvadiva (Huvadu) atolls
who objected to Nasir's demand that the British cease
employing local labour. Influenced by the British presence,
they decided to cut ties altogether and form an independent
state. In 1962 Nasir sent gunboats to the southern atolls
and the rebellion was quashed. Britain recognised the
islands' sovereignty soon after and in 1965, the Maldives
became fully independent.
Following
a referendum in 1968 the sultanate was again abolished
and a new republic inaugurated with Nasir as president.
His autocratic rule ended a decade later when, fearing
for his life, he fled the country for Singapore. The
progressive Maumoon Abdul Gayoom was elected president
in his place. Gayoom has been in power ever since, surviving
coup attempts in 1980 and 1988. He was nominated for
a fourth five-year term in 1993, and his presidency
was confirmed by an overwhelming referendum.
Recent
years have been characterized by modernisation, rapid
economic growth, and improvement in most social indicators.
The main contributors to this growth have been the fishing
industry, tourism and foreign aid. There are pressures
for political liberalisation on one hand and for a more
traditional Muslim way of life on the other. The government
also needs to strike a balance between preserving the
environmental quality of the islands and further developing
tourism and fishing.
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