"" (, ; ) is the

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European ...

of the

Maldives The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in South Asia located in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, abou ...

. The lyrics were written by Muhammad Jameel Didi in 1948, and the melody was composed by

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

n maestro Pandit Amaradeva in 1972. "Gaumee salaam" is a declaration of national unity, the

Islamic faith Faith is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept. In the context of religion, faith is "belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". According to the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, faith has multiple definitions, includ ...

, the victory of

historic History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...

battles, and an homage to the heroes who fell defending the nation. It also wishes further development on the country, while paying respect to the country's

leaders Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations. "Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the c ...

History

Until 1948, a melody without lyrics called the was performed by a royal band on state occasions at the , the residence of the

Sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

. Soon after, it was decided that the needed lyrics accompanied by a new melody. The lyrics were written by a young poet and later chief justice, Mohamed Jameel Didi. Jameel Didi wrote the words for the new Salaamathi bearing in mind the influence of

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

poetry during the time, closely imitating its style and also furnishing his work with words borrowed from

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

. Afterwards, Jameel Didi began looking for a tune to accompany his poem when he heard the noon chime ("

Auld Lang Syne "Auld Lang Syne" () is a Scottish song. In the English-speaking world, it is traditionally sung to bid farewell to the old year at the stroke of midnight on Hogmanay/New Year's Eve. It is also often heard at funerals, graduations, and as a far ...

") of his uncle's clock. The tune was adopted to the lyrics, and the new was complete. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Maldivians became more aware of the importance of a national anthem, and in 1972, shortly before the Maldives was visited by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

, the government hastily commissioned Sri Lankan maestro

W. D. Amaradeva Sri Lankabhimanya Wannakuwattawaduge Don Albert Perera (; ; 5 December 1927 – 3 November 2016), better known by his adopted name Amaradeva, was a prominent Sri Lankan Sinhalese vocalist, violinist and composer. Primarily using traditional in ...

for a new melody for the anthem. The original lyrics were retained, with a few changes to emphasise the fact that Maldives had been a republic since 1968. , this version of the anthem has survived without any modifications.

Lyrics

Normally, only the chorus and first two verses are sung. ; Maldivian original

Notes

References

External links

* Th
Maldives Royal Family
website has a page on the anthem, including a midi file version.
archived
1 January 2022)
Streaming audio of the national anthem of the Maldives, with information and lyricsarchived
9 February 2018) {{National anthems of Asia Music of the Maldives National symbols of the Maldives Compositions in F major