Two islands of Laamu (Haddhunmathi) atoll, with the ruins of Buddhist monasteries and stupas and the find-spots of the copper-plate grants (loamaafaanu) of Isdhoo and Dhanbidhoo, dated 1193 to 1197 by different readings.
The Dhanbidhoo plate is said (English Wikipedia, Laamu Atoll) to record the destruction of Buddhist monuments, the beheading of monks and the building of mosques. H. C. P. Bell excavated the sites in 1923, with serious damage to them.
Who holds it
- Name
- The king of Male, through the governor of Laamu (Haddhunmathi)
- Title
- see the lord or tenant line below
- Born
- not known
- Confidence
- low
Lord in 1200
The king of Male, through the governor of Laamu (Haddhunmathi)
How things stand that morning
A Muslim governor over a recently Buddhist atoll.
Where the sources disagree
- The gazetteer lacks Isdhoo and Dhanbidhoo; coordinates are approximate (1.87,73.42).
Evidence: Short secondary sources only; no dated record of the person or office for 1200.
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.