Twenty-odd atolls strung from the Haa Alif in the north to Addu in the south, each governed, on the later pattern, by a governor sent from Male (the plates mention officers by title), with island headmen and a mosque or the remains of a monastery.
The north and centre are quiet; the south and Laamu are where the Buddhist past is being broken up in the 1190s: the Dhanbidhoo copper plate is said (English Wikipedia, Laamu Atoll) to record the destruction of Buddhist monuments, the beheading of monks and the building of mosques. The people live on fish, coconut, and the cowrie harvest.
Who he is
- Name
- not named in any source we reached
- Title
- Governors of the atolls (appointed from Male) and island headmen
- Since
- not known
- Born
- not known
- Family
- Local families.
- Confidence
- low
The Laamu plates are the nearest document; they mention officers by title and no name is given in the pages we reached.
Overlord
the king of Male
What it holds
- The atolls as administrative units
- Laamu (Haddhunmathi) with the ruins of Buddhist monasteries on Isdhoo, Dhanbidhoo, Gan and Mundoo
- Fuvahmulah and Addu in the far south
How it was acquired
By the king's appointment.
Allies and rivals
Subject to the king; the Buddhist families of Laamu are the dissidents.
How things stand that morning
Quiet; the suppression of Laamu's monasteries is recent.
Wealth
Cowries, coir, fish.
Threats
- A rising of Buddhist families in Laamu
- A sea raid
What the year holds
What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.
- through 1200No dated event is known.Depends on: Not applicable. Stopped by: Not applicable.
Places of note
- Isdhoo: Find-spot of a copper plate.
Where the sources disagree
- The gazetteer lacks Isdhoo and Dhanbidhoo; coordinates are given.
Evidence: Plates and late tradition.
On the map: Atolls as units.
Primary sources for Maldives
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- The Book of Roger (the Pleasure of Him who Longs to Cross the Horizons), Muhammad al-Idrisi (completed 1154 at Palermo). The nearest Arabic geography in time to 1200 for the Indian Ocean. Read online
- A Description of the Foreign Peoples (Records of Foreign Nations), Zhao Rukuo (Zhao Rugua) (1225 at Quanzhou). The best single text for the island world around 1200, written by the superintendent of maritime trade at Quanzhou from merchants' reports a generation after the date. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.