Known to many as an island paradise, the islands of Maldives was a barren land until the early settlers started to occupy them thousands of years ago.
The early settlers
Legends say that a prince and his wife; the daughter of a king in Sri Lanka are the first settlers and the ones who discovered this pristine lands. It is said that they landed at one of the islands in Raa Atoll and were invited to stay as rulers by the native tribesmen. Later on from 1500 BC onwards, Aryans from India and Sri Lanka are believed to have settled in the Maldives. Today these islands are occupied by many resorts a 4 Star Resort in Maldives the likes of Kurumba Maldives is also located in these regions.
Islam in the Maldives
Islam was introduced to the Maldives in the 14th century on the arrival of an Islamic scholar to the Maldives. Legends say that the scholar had defeated the “Rannamaari”, a sea-demon, which threatened the livelihood of the Maldivians with the power of the Holy Quran. Since then, everyone from the islands had embraced Islam.
Colonial invasion
Portuguese are the first Europeans who showed a keen interest in these lands as the seas surrounding the lands had an abundant supply of cowry shells, and ambergris; an important ingredient in perfumes. The Portuguese were successful in defeating the local rulers and their rule lasted for around 132 years until the arrival of British. Later the British also had to abandon the Maldives, as it was too expensive to maintain.
Independence
The Maldives officially became an independent nation on July 26th of 1965. After three years following the independence, a republic was declared with Prime Minister Ibrahim Nasir as the first president. Today the Maldives is a proud nation and has become one of the best tourist destinations in the world.
Caleb Falcon is a travel writer who specializes in writing content based on the many exciting world adventures that await intrepid travellers. Google+
