Meedhoo

Source: visitaddu.com 

Meedhoo is  located on the North Eastern side of the Atoll adjoining the island of Hulhudhoo to the South and is among the largest islands in Maldives. The is land has a rich history and regarded as one of the first places in the Maldives to be inhabited and in fact the oldest populated island in Addu Atoll.

 

The people of Meedhoo are famous for been intelligent, intellectual and educational. It was a place of the finest scholars in Maldives in early ages. Meedhoo is located about 528.90 kilometers South of the capital island of Maldives. It has a population of 2456.

 

Meedhoo landscape is also mainly of palms trees and tropical shrubs as in other islands in Addu Atoll, the island consists of small roads, close lanes, large number of closely built houses, only a few has a second floor, green vegetation surrounds most of the housing compounds, specially coconut palm and banana trees, and are regarded as part domestic agriculture.

 

Hulhudhoo and Meedhoo islands are naturally one island as in Maradhoo and Maradhoo- Feydhoo on the western side of the atoll. At one point the island was called Hulhumeedhoo, and had a one administrative office and was regarded as one island. Early days the two communities were separated with a large mangrove tree standing in a muddy land area.

 

This area has later become as a border between two communities of Hulhumeedhoo. Some difference of opinion , historical and cultural backgrounds of the two communities enforced them to be independent of each other and hence declared separation. Today the two communities live side by side with peace and harmony under two different administrative divisions and are regarded as two different islands eve though the island is naturally one island.

 

MEEDHOO, A PLACE OF HISTORY MAKERS

 

Meedhoo, one of the largest and important islands in the Maldives, is an island of uniqueness by itself, a harmonious blending of knowledge and craftsmanship, the piety and sincerity of its people who live in a thickly vegetated atmosphere of traditional and modern outlooks, mingle to create unique ambience. Is-Meedhoo, as we knew it for so long, though Meedhoo as is officially declared now – is an age-old name, intertwined in the history of Maldives for its role and contribution towards the religious scholarship.

 

Meedhoo is justly famed for the line of erudite scholars it has produced for generations past. Since the sixteenth century not less than eight natives of Meedhoo have filled the high office of Fandiyaaru, or Qazi, at Male’. To this day, Meedhoo ‘Ulamma’ and other noted ecclesiastics, hold their own, or more, with those of the Capital.

 

Despite its far distant situation and comparatively small size in population, Meedhoo has ever maintained an importance in Maldivian affairs out of all proportions to its territorial insignificance.

It has long established its fame in the group for the sturdy independence and reliability of its inhabitants, their robust physique, peaceful character, and general intellectual equipment (especially marked in religious lore, and Arabic scholarship) which has earned merited admiration from the islanders of other atolls.