Pre-Islamic period

Sculptures from
pre-12th century Maldives,
source: Thor Heyerdahl's The Maldive Mystery

Archaeological and linguistic research in the Maldives reveals close links between the islands and mainland kingdoms in nearby southern India and Sri Lanka.

"The genetic affinities between Dhivehi and Sinhala relate to several chronological phases rather than to a single phase in the history of the two languages, a conclusion which implies several waves of ethnic and linguistic migrations from Sri Lanka to the Maldives."

Wijesundera, G. D. Wijayawardhana, J. B. Disanayaka, Ahmed Hassan, and Mohamed Luthufee, Historical and Linguistic Survey of Dhivehi: Final Report. Sri Lanka, University of Colombo, 1988

Clarence Maloney, author of the classic anthropological study People of the Maldive Islands, published in 1980, examined 900 Maldivian island and other geographical names and found that 'only four have Arabic or Islamic names, so it is clear that the whole country was populated and brought within a single civilisational system before Islam [1153 AD], during the Buddhist period, or even earlier.'

Indeed, there is evidence of a visit by a Maldivian delegation to the Roman emperor in the fourth century AD, while Thor Heyerdahl in The Maldive Mystery provides convincing proof of trade contact between the Maldives and the ancient Indus Valley port of Lothal.

Statue found in Thoddu, west of Malé atoll, early 1980s. Photo from Thor Heyerdahl's The Maldive Mystery

The islands were always renowned for their fish, cowry, tortoise shell and coconut products, especially coir which was used as rope on ships. Communities of villagers built Hindu/Buddhist temples, and the Vajrayana or Tantric cults seemed to predominate. They excelled in sculpture, handicrafts, and ship-building. Ambergris was another valuable export.

In addition to the industrious people who settled willingly in the Maldives, there are records of exile to the islands of unwanted groups and losers in royal family disputes in Sri Lanka. Maloney says that 'in pre-Muslim times, the political system in the Maldives was an adaptation of that prevailing in Sri Lanka, modified by the unique geography. It was a monarchy in which power was highly centralised, the whole realm was methodically administered, and political opponents were frequently exiled. These features have characterised the Maldives' government throughout history.' Travellers in the first millenium describe the Maldives as having a single strong government.

Sulaiman the Merchant (c. 850-900), Al-Mas'udi (916), and Al-Idrisi (1099-1168) wrote that in pre-Islamic times, Maldives was ruled by queens. Under Islam and its legal recognition of polygamy this matriarchial influence continued and occasionally queens would rule in Malé. Even in the later period, wives and female relatives of the sultans remained politically influential at the highest levels of government, though they rarely held office.