Muslim rulers, such as those who governed the Maldives, are called sultans.
Since the earliest recorded times, the Maldives Islands wereruled by kings known as sultans and occasionally sultanas.
The interest of Middle Eastern peoples in Maldives resulted from its strategic location and its abundant supply of cowrie shells, a form of currency that was widely used throughout Asia and parts of the East African coast since ancient times.
The importance of the Arabs as traders in the Indian Ocean by the twelfth century A.D. may partly explain why the last Buddhist king of Maldives converted to Islam in the year 1153.
The king thereupon adopted the Muslim title and name of Sultan Muhammad al Adil, initiating a series of six dynasties consisting of eighty-four sultans and sultanas that lasted until 1932 when the sultanate became elective.
To learn more, explore the following links below:
Countrystudies.us
Travmaldives.com