Intelligence in the Sultanate of Maldives: interpreting the Tarikh

Intelligence as a distinct profession emerged in the Maldives recently, taking root in the 1990s. However, the Tarikh Islami Dheeba Mahal (Tarikh), one of the oldest manuscripts of the Maldives, chronicling the reigns of its sovereigns from 1153 to 1821, affirms that intelligence has long been a salient feature of the political life of the Sultanate of Maldives. This article interprets the Tarikh’s prologue, using hermeneutic principles, centred on themes pertaining to intelligence and deception. The main thesis of the article is that although the Tarikh presents an enduring archetype of a just Muslim sovereign, transcending time and space, its author’s religious convictions led to the veiling of intelligence praxis in the Sultanate. Nevertheless, the Tarikh establishes that intelligence played a significant role in the political life of the Maldives and that spying was a common tactic employed by its sovereigns.