HISTORY AND CULTURE

Call of Aaley

Call of Aaley

Call of Aaley. Before telephones or radios, trusted watchmen climbed the tallest

Beyond the Beaches: Eid Al-Adha in the Maldives

Beyond the Beaches: Eid Al-Adha in the Maldives

For a few days each year, the Maldives shifts from resort paradise

Inside the Reef Cave That Nearly Took My Life

Inside the Reef Cave That Nearly Took My Life

Crystal-clear waters reveal the dramatic coral formations along the reef front of

Against the Wind: A Vedi Voyage Remembered

Against the Wind: A Vedi Voyage Remembered

Artistic interpretation of a traditional Maldivian vedi battling monsoon seas during a

A feature illustration depicting the traditional Maldivian practice of Call of Aaley. A coastal watchman climbs a towering coconut palm to scan the distant Indian Ocean, where a tiny returning veḍi appears on the horizon after months at sea, signalling the long-awaited homecoming of sailors.

Call of Aaley

Yasir Salih

For centuries, the return of a veḍi from Ceylon or the coast

“Collage-style editorial image showing Maldivian island cultural celebrations, featuring traditional dancing, a ceremonial floral procession, and children playing on a tropical beach.”

Beyond the Beaches: Eid Al-Adha in the Maldives

Yasir Salih

For a few days each year, the Maldives shifts from resort paradise

Aerial view of the rugged reef front in Fuvahmulah, where powerful ocean waves crash over sharp coral rock formations and turquoise water surges through narrow reef channels near hidden cave-like openings.

Inside the Reef Cave That Nearly Took My Life

Yasir Salih

Saving the Shark Pups During the 27th day of Ramadan in the

Illustration of a traditional Maldivian vedi sailing through a violent storm beneath towering waves and lightning-filled skies.

Against the Wind: A Vedi Voyage Remembered

Yasir Salih

For centuries, the Indian Ocean shaped life in the Maldives. It provided

Midjourney illustration of Maldivian fishermen in a dhoni battling a large tiger shark in a stormy sea.

Guardians of the Deep and the Shark Myths of the Maldives

Yasir Salih

In the crystalline turquoise of the Maldivian lagoons, the world feels bounded

A close-up shot of a Pandanus tree (screw pine) featuring several segments of fruit. One prominent fruit is a vibrant, ripe orange, while others remain green and unripe. Long, slender green leaves surround the fruit, creating a dense, tropical texture.

The Whispering Keyvai and the Spirit Landscapes of the Maldives

Yasir Salih

Along the salt-sprayed fringes of the Maldivian atolls, where the white sand

The Maldives’ Deadly Glow

Yasir Salih

In the crystalline expanse of the Maldivian atolls, beauty often serves as

Dramatic illustration of a Maldivian Maalimee (navigator) steering a wooden wheel through the Phantom Sea (Kandumathi Elhun) on a dark, moonless night.

Unmasking the Science Behind the Maldives’ Most Feared Maritime Myth

Yasir Salih

On a moonless night in the remote Maldivian islands, the boundary between