The city of Male is the current capital of the Maldives. It began its history as a small fishing settlement on a sandy island in the North Male Atoll. According to local accounts, the first inhabitants came here from what is now India and Sri Lanka. The island was a convenient spot for fishermen, who took advantage of the nearby reefs and shallows. Life was simple and the community functioned without centralised authority. The name Male itself is linked to the term for the water stained with the blood of fish, gutted by Giravar fishermen. Initially, therefore, it was a raw and natural space, where there were no urban structures or advanced buildings yet.
Royal island and walled city
The real transformation of Malé began with the arrival of Prince Koimala from the Indian subcontinent. It was he who created the first centre of power here, which in the following centuries developed into the capital of the sultanate. The island became known as King’s Island, as it became the seat of the ruling dynasties. The first palaces, administrative buildings and mosques gradually appeared in the growing city, giving it political and religious significance. In time, the city was surrounded by walls and fortifications, and its gates marked the borders of the capital. Even today, the Friday Mosque, one of the oldest and most important religious buildings in the Maldives, is a reminder of this period.
Changes to Malé in the modern era
In the 17th century, Sultan Muhammad Imaduddin fortified Male by erecting defensive walls to the north, east and west. At the time, the island was small, surrounded by a shallow lagoon, and its harbour served fishermen and smaller trading vessels. Over time, however, the town began to grow. The increasing number of inhabitants necessitated the widening of streets, the laying out of new plots of land and the construction of more houses. In the 1920s, some of the former fortifications were demolished and the cemeteries were converted into areas for residential and public housing. Malé gradually began to lose the character of a fortified and strongly compact town, and the first traces of a more open urban layout appeared in its fabric. The ubiquitous greenery became the enemy of progress, so the city began to lose it at an alarming rate.
Transformation in the 20th century
The abolition of the monarchy in 1968 opened a new chapter in the island’s history. The authorities decided to demolish the royal palace, and with it many of the former forts and bastions. Only a few buildings of historical significance were left standing. The following decades brought rapid population growth, creating the need to reclaim land from the lagoon surrounding the island. Reclamation allowed the area of Malé to expand, creating new areas for residential and public housing. Modern administrative buildings and the first hotels were also being built, preparing the city to become a tourist centre.
The modern metropolis
Today, Male is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. Almost the entire area of the central island has been built up, with apartment blocks and compact multi-family houses being the dominant forms of architecture. There has been virtually no space for green space. As the population grew, new neighbourhoods were created, as well as artificial islands such as Hulhumalé and Villimalé, which relieve the congestion in the capital. Malé now serves as the administrative, economic and communications heart of the Maldives. It is home to state institutions, the main commercial port and Velana International Airport, which handles millions of passengers a year. The city combines remnants of historical elements with modern buildings and is a showcase for the entire country.
A symbol of Malé’s transformation
The history of Malé clearly shows how a small island can transform into a dynamic metropolis over the centuries. The process involved political, religious and economic development, as well as successive stages of urbanisation. Former fortifications and royal palaces gave way to modern buildings and a dense urban fabric. Land reclamation has helped cope with the growing population and Male has become the centre of Maldivian life. Today’s capital, on the one hand modern and crowded, and on the other with traces of history, is a testament to the dynamic changes taking place throughout the archipelago. But are they positive?
Source: ebsco.com, huraa-island.com
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