Goidhoo (
Dhivehi: ގޮއިދޫ) is one of the inhabited islands of
Southern Maalhosmadulhu Atoll, code letter "Baa".
History
In the 19th century, a female African
slave
Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...
who had been bought by the king on his Hajj trip to Mecca was formally released from slavery and was settled in Goidhoo island. A house and a well were built for her. This
African woman was called Salaamaa. She had been working for years at the palace in Malé before the ailing king released her in order to gain merit in the afterlife.
The freeing of slaves before the death of the owner was traditionally a common practice among the very high nobility in the Maldives.
Now there are some families from Goidhoo that can trace their descendency to this
African ancestor.
Geography
The island is northwest of the country's capital,
Malé
Malé is the capital and most populous city of the Maldives. With a population of 211,908 in 2022 within its administrative area and coterminous geographical area of , Malé is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. The city i ...
.
Horsburgh Atoll
Goidhu Island lies in a small separate atoll along with
Fulhadu and
Fehendhu. Goidhoo Atoll (also Goidu or Goifulhafehendhu), Horsburgh Atoll in the
Admiralty Chart
Admiralty charts are nautical charts issued by the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) and subject to Crown Copyright. Over 3,500 Standard Nautical Charts (SNCs) and 14,000 Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs) are available with the Admira ...
, is separated from South Maalhosmadulhu by a channel. This atoll is oval in shape and small, its greatest length being . The inner lagoon has a depth of 17 to 20 fathoms; it has a sandy bottom mixed with mud and clay. Unlike the lagoons of most small atolls of the Maldives, this lagoon is free from coral heads in its centre.
In the
Admiralty chart
Admiralty charts are nautical charts issued by the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) and subject to Crown Copyright. Over 3,500 Standard Nautical Charts (SNCs) and 14,000 Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs) are available with the Admira ...
s, this atoll is named after
James Horsburgh, hydrographer to the
East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...
and author of the long-titled ''Directions for Sailing to and from the East Indies, China, New Holland, Cape of Good Hope, and the interjacent Ports, compiled chiefly from original Journals and Observations made during 21 years' experience in navigating those Seas''. Horsburgh's Directory was the standard work for oriental navigation in the first half of the 19th century, until
Robert Moresby
Robert Moresby (15 June 1794 – 15 June 1854Some sources mention that he is thought to have died in 1863.) was a captain of the East India Company's Bombay Marine/Indian Navy who distinguished himself as a hydrographer, maritime surveyor ...
's survey of the Maldives when for the first time in history accurate maps of the atolls were published.
Demography
See also
*
James Horsburgh
References
* ''Divehiraajjege Jōgrafīge Vanavaru''. Muhammadu Ibrahim Lutfee. G.Sōsanī.
*
Xavier Romero-Frias
Xavier or Xabier may refer to:
Place
* Xavier, Spain
People
* Xavier (surname)
* Xavier (given name)
* Francis Xavier (1506–1552), Catholic saint
** St. Francis Xavier (disambiguation)
* St. Xavier (disambiguation)
* Xavier (footballer, born ...
, ''The Maldive Islanders, A Study of the Popular Culture of an Ancient Ocean Kingdom''. Barcelona 1999.
Islands of the Maldives
{{Maldives-geo-stub