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Concept
Fuvahmulah
Summary
Fuvahmulah (Dhivehi: ފުވައްމުލައް) is an island (atoll) in the Maldives. It is under Maldives’ administrative divisions of Gnaviyani Atoll or Nyaviyani Atoll. The inhabitants speak a distinctive form of the Dhivehi language, locally known as "fuvahmulaki baha."
Fuvahmulah means "Island of the Areca nut palms", Fuvah (or "Fuva") in the local language. Other places in the world like Penang in Malaysia and Guwahati in Assam, India, are also named after this nut. The original name of the island could have been Mulah, but was called Fuvahmulah (the Mulah with the areca nut palms) to distinguish it from Boli Mulah – another island in ancient Maldives.
The admiralty charts and some geographers named the island Fua Mulaku. In old French maps the island appeared under the name Poue Molluque.
Little is known about the history of Fuvahmulah. All that remains are a few historical landmarks.
These include a much damaged Buddhist stupa known locally as Fua Mulaku Havitta. The original shape of the mound was lost as it was altered after its excavation. The ruin is about 40 feet in height and it looks like a small hill. A smaller mound, about 15 feet in height, is located near the Havitta.
An ancient local poem in the local dialect reads: "Havitta uhe haudahau, Redin taneke hedi ihau".(Thor Heyerdahl visited this island and wrote a book which is named 'Fua Mulaku' in its German edition.)
There is also the Vasho-Veyo, an ancient circular bath with stone steps. This stone pool reveals great craftsmanship in the cutting of Porites coral stone (hirigal) by the locals.
Among the monuments of the Islamic period, the most important is the Gen Miskit, a neat compound including a coral stone mosque, an ancient graveyard and a well. It is located in the northern end of the island. Gen Miskit is the oldest mosque in the Maldives built 1300. It is made of coral stone and was built straight after the conversion to Islam.
It has been said that the island was depopulated and resettled thrice in the last thousand years owing to lethal epidemics.
Official source
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