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.
History
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 . 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. The last time the survivors of the epidemic went to the neighboring Addu, Huvadhu and Haddhunmathi Atolls and stayed there for a few years.
In the post-war era, tensions rose significantly between the Southern Atolls and the Central Government in Malé. Fuvahmulah was part of the breakaway state of the United Suvadive Republic (1959–1963). However, nothing eventful happened through those years on the island, except that once a boat (Elizabeth Boyer) with soldiers from the Maldivian government in Malé tried to disembark unsuccessfully at Rasgefanno, on the eastern shore of Fuvahmulah. Islanders gathered at the beach and threw stones at the soldiers in rebellion. The soldiers from Malé retaliated by opening fire on the unarmed islanders, resulting in the death of one islander and seriously injuring two islanders who were ferried by dōni the same day, to Gan, in Addu Atoll. The British, who were stationed in Gan sent them by air to Ceylon for treatment.
Recent history
On 4 February 2007 a fire burned down the Community Center building. The fire started around 3:00 am local time. The Regional Fire Services, Maldives Police Services, and locals contained the fire, within 2 hours after the fire started. An investigation was carried out by the Police, but a report was not published. Police said the most likely cause of the fire was an electrical short.
On 23 February 2007, a fire started at the boat yard near the harbor. The fire completely burnt 6 fiberglass dhows. Four of these dhows were 100 feet and the remaining two were 40 feet long. This fire also started around 3:40 am local time. Fire was first spotted, instantly after the fire started by a local fisherman. The Fire Service was called immediately. But since fiberglass resin is highly flammable, and there was no sprinkler system, the fire spread to the 6 dhows and the fiberglass resin barrels in the yard. It took the fire personnel, Maldives National Defense Force and local 2 hours to contain the fire. A forensics team of the Maldive Police Service did the investigation. All the dhows were insured. In an interview with media, the atoll chief said the loss is estimated to be around MRF 20 Million, although insurance companies never publicly disclosed the figures. This fire is said to be the worst fire in the history of the island.