Maldives – And the journey towards an Islamic nation

The Maldives had its first settlement presumably before the fifth century BCE, which is based on historical evidence as well as legends. While the historical eras of the Maldives have been described through various archeological evidence and scriptures, it is also widely understood and accepted that there are still bits and pieces of the Maldivian history that remains elusive to this day.

However, it is known that the first settlers of the Maldives were not Muslims. There are some suggestions that the early settlers in the Maldives were probably Gujarati Indians who reached and settled in Sri Lanka first around 500 BCE.