Maldivian Historic Pictures

Maldivian Historic Pictures

Figure 1: The annual Missive of the Sultan of the Maldives to the Governor of Ceylon 1920s. Before the independence of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) that was the only diplomatic ceremony that took place in Colombo. This colourful ceremony goes beyond British times. The first written record of the ceremony is in Boduthakurufaanu Vaahaka by Buraara Koi in which the ambassador of Andiri Andirin, the Regent of the Maldives, delivered the missive to the Portuguese governor of Kotte. In that account the ambassador was Utheem Mohamed Thakurufan. In this photograph, the Sultan's Ambassador Athireegey Abdul Hameed Didi (in the middle, slightly to the left), then resident in Colombo, poses with the Maldive missive-bearer and the native militiamen of the city of Colombo at the entrance of the Governor's mansion

Figure 2: On July 26, 1965 the Maldives becomes independent and in the same year,                   a full member of the United Nations

Figure 3: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, Royal Air Force Base in Gan Addu Atoll-1973

Figure 4:  Found carefully buried on Thoddu in 1959, this statue had been preserved underground for nearly 800 years. To hide it after Buddhist Maldives was declared an Islamic kingdom by royal decree in 1153, islanders removed the statue from a higher position and placed it upright on the floor of the temple where sand had been spread. It was then surrounded by hewn stone slabs and more sand and rocks. A protective slab was placed over the statue and additional rocks and sand were added to the pile until the temple had become a mound. The heap was then covered in soil

Figure 5: Isdhoo Loamaafaanu, this is the oldest copper-plate book to be discovered in the Maldives (Isdhoo, Laamu Atoll) to date. The book was written in 1194 AD (590 AH) in Evela form od Dhivehi akuru, during the reign of Siri Fennaadheettha Mahaa Radun

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