The MHS Manuscript Viewer is a web interface providing access to Deep Zoom images of texts on paper and engraved on copper plates related to the history of the Maldives. The materials presented here include manuscripts digitized by our Survey Team in the field and in the collections of the Maldives National Museum in Malé, as well as scans generously provided with permission by the Maldives National Archives.
When using any of the information or images from this website in academic publications, print, or elsewhere on the internet, please reference: R. Michael Feener (Ed.). Maldives Heritage Survey (https://maldivesheritage.oxcis.ac.uk), last accessed: dd/mm/yyyy
Collections
Waqf endowments
These documents establish endowments and detail the resources stipulated for the construction and maintenance of mosques, mausoleum shrines (ziyaaraiy) and other religious institutions
Qur’an manuscripts
Browse a library of hand-written Qur’anic texts copied in Arabic both at the court in Malé and at local sites on islands all across the country
Islamic devotional texts
A collection of works in both Arabic and Dhivehi used in connection with Islamic devotional practices that were popular during earlier periods of Maldivian history.
Royal decrees
Documents in this section include both manuscripts and early printed forms of broadsheets complete with royal seals and signatures issued by the sultans of the Maldives.
Letters
These documents present a window on business and personal correspondence between various islands in the Maldives, as well as letters written by and to the court of the sultans at Malé.
Court and legal documents
A collection of archival documents including court filings, decisions, and receipts from across the country. Such material presents a resource for the legal, economic, and social history of the Maldives.