Utheemu palace, Haa Alif Atoll

Utheemu Island in Haa Alifu Atoll is arguably the most famous island in the country. Every Maldivian worth his salt knows something about the island and its history. They might be a bit vague on the details but one thing they will know with absolute conviction is that Utheemu is the birth-island of Sultan Mohamed Thakurufaanu, the greatest hero, the Maldives has ever known.

Although in the modern day Maldives is more likely to find young boys pretending to be Spiderman, Batman or even Ben 10, it wasn't that uncommon even two decades back to see young children pretending to be Mohamed Thakurufaanu and battling make-believe enemies on the beaches or inside their houses. Every boy wanted to grow up to be Mohamed Thakurufaanu, and visiting the island of Utheemu to see the birthplace of their hero, was something that all Maldivian boys dreamed of doing one day.

Mohamed Thakurufaanu became Sultan of the Maldives in 1573, after defeating the Portuguese army that had invaded the islands and gaining the country's independence. He is the patriarch of the Utheemu Dynasty, named after his birthplace, and eleven more sultans ruled during this dynastic period until 1692.

Being the birthplace of the country's greatest hero automatically bestows historical significance on the island, but with the added fact that the island also houses the extremely well-preserved wooden palace that he grew up and lived in, makes it a rare historical treasure. It is also the residence of the other rulers of the Utheemu Dynasty.