Isdhoo (Laamu Atoll)

Isdhoo
އިސްދޫ
Historic mosque on the island of Isdhoo, made from coral stones and wood
Historic mosque on the island of Isdhoo, made from coral stones and wood
Isdhoo is located in Maldives
Isdhoo
Isdhoo
Location in Maldives
Coordinates: 02°07′10″N 73°34′10″E / 2.11944°N 73.56944°E / 2.11944; 73.56944
CountryMaldives
Administrative atollLaamu Atoll
Distance to Malé227.43 km (141.32 mi)
Dimensions
 • Length4.370 km (2.715 mi)
 • Width1.525 km (0.948 mi)
Population
 (2022)[1]
 • Total
929 (including foreigners)
Time zoneUTC+05:00 (MST)

Isdhoo (Dhivehi: އިސްދޫ) is one of the inhabited islands of Haddhunmathi Atoll, administrative code Laamu part of Maldives in the Indian Ocean.

History

This island has important ruins from the historical Maldivian Buddhist era. These ruins include one of the largest stupas so far found in the Maldives.

Isdhoo Loamaafaanu

Loamaafaanu are ancient royal edicts written on copper plates.[2] Loamaafaanu edicts were etched on long copper plates held together by a ring of the same metal. The loamaafaanu were written in the curly Eveylaa form of the Divehi akuru or old Maldive alphabet and they are very important documents in the History of the Maldives.[3] The oldest loamaafaanu that have hitherto been found and preserved are from Malé, the royal capital, and from the islands of Isdū and Dambidū in Haddhunmathi Atoll, where there were large Buddhist monasteries. These copperplates were issued at the end of the twelfth century AD.[3] These make it clear that the general conversion from Buddhism to Islam was ordered by the king. It is also concluded that the monasteries in Haddummati Atoll (Satu Duvu) were of great importance in the ancient Buddhist Kingdom of the Maldives.

According to the loamaafaanu, monks from monasteries of the southern atoll of Haddhunmathi were brought to Malé and beheaded.

Geography

The island is 227.43 km (141 mi; 123 nmi) south of the country's capital, Malé.[4]

Demography

Historical population
YearPop.±%
2006 1,559—    
2014 909−41.7%
2022 929+2.2%
2006-2014: Census populations
Source: [5][1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Table P5: Resident Population by island and sex, 2022" (PDF). census.gov.mv. Maldives Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  2. ^ ‘An unusual account of the Miʿrāǧ’ by Jost Gippert (2013). Ragagnin, Elisabetta / Wilkens, Jens (eds.), Kutadgu Nom Bitig. Veröffentlichungen der Societas Uralo-Altaica, 87, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz 2015, 163-182
  3. ^ a b H.A. Maniku & G.D. Wijayawardhana. Isdhoo Loamaafaanu. Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka. Colombo 1986
  4. ^ "Coordinate Distance Calculator". Boulter.com. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  5. ^ "Table 3.3: Total Maldivian Population by Islands" (PDF). National Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  • H.C.P. Bell, The Maldive Islands, An account of the physical features, History, Inhabitants, Productions and Trade. Colombo 1882, ISBN 81-206-1222-1
  • Xavier Romero-Frias, The Maldive Islanders, A Study of the Popular Culture of an Ancient Ocean Kingdom. Barcelona 1999, ISBN 84-7254-801-5