Maldives holidays

There’s a lot of atmosphere, a lot of activity and a lot of colour in Male, the mini-capital of about 87,000 people, but other sightseeing is strictly limited.

Along the waterfront are commendably restrained administrative buildings. Pursue this road far enough and you arrive at a fascinating dhoni harbour. Here, on the primitive, beautifully-shaped boats, it’s all go, with bunches of bananas being carried aboard, thatched roofs under repair and all the Maldivian necessities of life coming and going. Nearby is an open space where the inhabitants of outlying atolls come to sell firewood or other goods.

One of the city’s most fascinating sights is the fish market, along the waterfront. The atmosphere is as rich as the aroma, and the product for sale on its slithery tiles is a central feature of Maldivian life. It’s best to arrive after 3 p.m., when the fishing dhonis fill the harbour and the day’s catch of tuna, bonito and swordfish are rushed into market to be expertly gutted and cleaned. Prices are vigorously haggled over, and buyers can be seen heading off on mopeds or pushbikes clutching handfuls of fat fish by the tail.

The Islamic Centre, incorporating the Sultan Mohamed Thakurufaanu Mosque, is Male’s most outstanding architectural flourish. The mosque’s beautifully proportioned golden dome, made from treated aluminium, gives the city skyline a certain distinction; it can be seen from as far as Bandos Island, 10 km (6 miles) away. The slim, three-tiered minaret sports grey and white chevrons and is topped with a gold dome.

A short distance from the Islamic Centre is Sultan Park, created from the palace grounds after the palace was destroyed in 1968 following the establishment of the Second Republic. It is a lovingly tended oasis of calm in the bustle of the modern capital, with lily ponds, exotic plants, and palm and banyan trees giving plenty of shade.

To brush up on Maldivian history, visit the 3-storey National Museum within the park. The collection focuses on the lives of the sultans over the last few centuries, from threadbare thrones, luxurious palanquins and sedan chairs to embroidered coats, sultanate umbrellas and other minutiae of royal life. Alongside these is a jumble of items including four pieces of moonrock and a small Maldivian flag taken on the first manned flight to the moon in 1969. But the most important displays are the architectural finds from temples uncovered on the outer islands, such as a pre-Islamic Buddha’s head carved in coral and sandstone.

The Friday Mosque has an unusual frontage with an older structure behind it. The two nearby cemeteries are impressive for the severity of the headstones and the grace of the exquisitely carved inscriptions.

Visitors usually end up shopping at the Singapore Bazaar, where Chaandhanee Magu meets Orchid Magu. You’ll be enticed into boutiques where polite locals offer island handicrafts. Learn how to dodge the bicycles—the only real hazard in downtown Male.

Try to pay a visit to the fishing villages, still authentic in spite of increasing tourism. Photographers can hardly tear themselves away, even to those glorious unpolluted beaches.

The resort islands do not differ greatly, except in shape: whichever one you choose will have superb, palm-fringed, fine sand beaches. Accommodation is usually in thatched-roof bungalows, sometimes built over the water, with facilities varying from simple to luxurious. Each resort is a self-contained community with sport and leisure facilities, restaurants, shops, sometimes entertainment such as a disco, and generally its own private reef. Scores of uninhabited isles have been developed as resorts. Most of these can be found in Male (Kaafu) Atoll, also in Vaavu, Baa, Lhaviyani and Alifu (Ari) Atoll.

Under the sea are wonders which more than make up for the lack of land monuments. Bandos is the most reputed for submarine life, among the finest in the Indian Ocean (some say the world). It also has the best diving equipment including decompression chambers.

However, there are dozens of other places where you can watch tropical fish pursue their own mesmeric existence. You can take your ease in an underwater grotto and observe this other world going about its mysterious business, weaving skeins of colour through a translucent sea. To protect it, spear-fishing is strictly prohibited. Shark accidents are unknown but—sharks there are. It’s common sense not to go down alone. In any case, a diver’s certificate is recommended, as well as a medical certificate, if you want to join one of the diving centres.

If you visit Malé, you’ll see plenty of street merchants offering beautiful Maldivian postage stamps. Those ragged dentures suspended outside gift shops are sharks’ jaws. Attractive T-shirts are stencilled before your eyes, generally with brilliantly coloured tropical fish.

The islanders are expert in carving coconut wood and use it to decorate their houses. Mat-weaving, basket-making and coir rope-making are long-standing crafts. Mats are woven from haa grass. There is some highlydeveloped lacquer work and you may see examples of handloom weaving or jewellery handcrafted in gold and mother of pearl.

The fish is abundant, and so are coconuts, used as a cooking ingredient, in mixed drinks or as a refresher, straight from the nut.

Maldivians eat fish for every meal—even breakfast. The local catch is mostly tuna, bonito and skipjack. Some sweet potatoes, yams and manioc are grown but the only cereal crops are maize, millet and sorghum. Onions and chillis are there to spice things up. There is little in the way of fruit: you’ll see breadfruit and three kinds of banana.

This limited range of produce puts a strain on Maldivians catering for European tastes. If you find yourself noticing the absence of things you are used to, comfort yourself with the thought that everything grown on the islands is free of fertilizer. Imported foodstuffs swell the hotel larders, the cooking is basically international and the standard is going up all the time, even if on some islands it is still rather modest.

12th century
The first recorded ruler is Theemugey Maha Kalaminja. This Buddhist king and his subjects are converted to Islam by Abul Barakaath Yoosuf Al Barbary from Morocco. The king changes his name to Mohamed Ibn Abdulla and reigns as Sultan until 1166.

14th century
A woman, Khadeeja, rules as Sultana. Twice deposed by a husband, each time she regains the throne. Another Moroccan, Mohammed Ibn Batuta, visits and records local customs, noting that the main occupations are fishing and the making of coir rope.

16th century
In 1512, the Portuguese arrive, aided by an ex-sultan converted to Christianity. The invaders are wiped out in 1573 with the help of Indians from Malabar.

18th–20th centuries
The Malabaris are showing too much interest in the Maldives and French help is enlisted to ward them off. In 1887, a protection agreement is signed with Britain. In return the British receive annual tribute, which continues as late as 1948. In 1957, the island of Gan is made into a Royal Air Force Base, which the British retain even after the Maldives become independent and join the United Nations in 1965. Independance Day dates from July 26, and the Maldives becomes arepublic in 1976. M. A. Gayoom is elected president in 1978 and is still in office.