women

Traditionally, the veil is foreign garb in Maldives.

The old Maldive word for the women's veil is dholhi, the same word used for the piece of cloth tied around the head of a human corpse to prevent the mouth from opening. This probably indicates the oppressive view of the garment held by early Maldivians.

The current Dhivehi word for the veil is burugaa, borrowed from various Indian languages

Several mediaeval Arab visitors to the Maldives noted with alarm what they regarded as the revealing attire of Maldive women.
An artist's impression of Queen Siri Raadha Abaarana (Khadija) with her attendants and husband. This image was in a web site called Maldives Story. It is interesting that the Queen and her female attendants appear to be wearing upper-body garments. Historical records show that Maldive women of the period (15th century) went topless in public. The queen banished her younger brother to gain her throne and assassinated two usurper husbands in order to hold on to it. It is anyone's guess what fate would have befallen the person who dared dictate her attire.
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The author's great grandmother, the Princess Consort Maandoogey Don Didi (above left) and aunt the Princess Uthuru Ganduvaru Tuttu Goma.


The author's great grandmother's photograph shown here is the oldest available of a Maldive lady- taken in about 1895. These ladies would have laughed at the thought of wearing a veil.


The most notable amongst them was Abu Abdullah Mohamed Ibn Batuta who served as the chief Islamic magistrate of Malé early in the 15th century. Not only did he endure the "indignity" of serving a female sovereign (Queen Siri Raadha Abaarana), but also he tried in vain to make women cover their bare breasts.

Maldive women of the time wore a skirt called the feyli hanging from just below the navel to just above the ankle. This was not due to a shortage of cloth. Maldives at that time produced a large quantity of fine textiles, with a healthy surplus for export. Back then, people were more sensible in terms of what they wore in a humid and hot climate. Ibn Batuta was able to force his Maldive wives and slave girls into an upper garment and the veil, but these unfortunate women were heckled and jeered at on the streets.



The only record of the official enforcement of the dholhi for live humans, was in the 17th century. In March 1691 a fundamentalist nobleman succeeded to the throne. Proclaimed as King Siri Naakiree Sundhura (Sultan al-Adil Mohamed Mohyeddine), this new ruler was a follower of the Iraqi mullah Abdel Qadir Jeilani.

According to page 75 of the Tarikh, Siri Naakiree Sundhura made a public proclamation on 6 April 1691, which included the following:

drinking alcohol was banned
fornication was banned
women were forced to wear the veil.
women were forced to stand aside for men on the streets