Koagannu Cemetery
About 900 years old.
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An island on the northeastern rim of Addu Atoll, the southernmost atoll of the Maldives, and the fifth-largest island in the country. It holds two districts of Addu City, Meedhoo in the north and Hulhudhoo in the south, and its name joins the two. Meedhoo is the oldest settled island in Addu, inhabited between 1000 and 500 BCE. Tradition holds that an Arab traveller named Yoosuf Naib brought Islam here before the rest of the islands and built the country's first mosque, and the island became known as a centre of religious learning. It has the Koagannu Cemetery, the oldest in the Maldives at about 900 years, with the largest tombstone in the country, believed to date from the 18th century and to belong to a member of the royal family. The island also has wetlands and small lakes, called kilhi, among thick grasses; some were protected when UNESCO declared Addu a biosphere reserve in 2020, among them Maafishi Kilhi in Hulhudhoo and Mathi Kilhi between the two districts. On its eastern shore are Second World War remains, including coastal defence guns and fortifications. Speedboats from Hithadhoo or Maradhoo-Feydhoo take about 20 minutes over no more than 15 kilometres, and Gan International Airport lies on the far side of the atoll. It is a local residential island, so modest dress is advisable, and the old cemetery deserves respect.
About 900 years old.
Small protected lakes.
Old coastal guns.
Northeastern rim of Addu Atoll
It is the oldest settled island in Addu, with the Koagannu Cemetery, the oldest in the Maldives at about 900 years, wetlands protected within the Addu biosphere reserve, and Second World War remains.