"" (, ; ) is the national anthem of the Maldives. The lyrics were written by Mohamed Jameel Didi in 1948, and the melody was composed by Sri Lankan maestro Pandit Amaradeva in 1972.

"Gaumee Salaam" declares national unity and Islam, and pays tribute to historic military victories and military deaths for the country. It also wishes further development on the country while paying respect to national leaders.

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. 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 poetry during the time, closely imitating its style and also furnishing his work with words borrowed from Arabic. Afterwards, Jameel Didi began looking for a tune to accompany his poem when he heard the noon chime ("Auld Lang Syne") of his uncle's clock. The tune was adopted to the lyrics, and the new was complete. The original lyrics were retained, with a few changes to emphasise the fact that Maldives had been a republic since 1968.

; Maldivian original

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!Thaana

!Latin script

!IPA transcription

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|<poem dir="rtl">

</poem>

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{|

!English translation

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|<poem>

We salute thee, O Motherland, in unity

In our own tongue with good wishes aplenty.

We bow our heads to thy crescent moon and star,

Our buoyant flag we hail, with bright colours streaming in air.

Of victory and of good fortune are its symbols

We salute the mighty red, white and green.

To heroes who sought honour and pride for the nation

We salute today in auspicious verses of recollection.

May there be fame and good wealth for Maldivian land

And may the name of fellow Maldivians become grand.

We wish for their freedom and progress in this world

And for their freedom from sorrows, and we thus salute.

With full respect and heartfelt blessing towards religion and our leaders,

We salute thee in uprightness and in truth.

May the State always have auspicious honour and respect.

We salute thee, with good wishes for thy continuing might.

</poem>

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Notes

References

  • The 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 lyrics (archived 9 February 2018)