Coco de Mer, Lodoicea Maldivica: A Forbidden Treasure of the Maldives and the Indian Ocean Trade

Coco de mer , Thaavah Kaashi

Lodoicea Maldivica: The Enigmatic Forbidden Fruit of Paradise ,A Treasure of the Maldives and the Indian Ocean Trade

The Coco de Mer, a rare ( Thaavah Kaashi ) and exotic palm seed native to the Seychelles Islands, (Thaavah Kara) holds a fascinating place in the historical narrative of the Indian Ocean trade, as chronicled in François Pyrard de Laval’s Voyage of François Pyrard of Laval to the East Indies, the Maldives. Known scientifically as Lodoicea maldivica and commonly referred to as the "sea coconut" or "coco di mare," this remarkable natural wonder was not only a botanical curiosity but also a symbol of power and prestige, intricately tied to the authority of the Maldivian kings. Pyrard’s account sheds light on the cultural and economic significance of the Coco de Mer, revealing how it connected the uninhabited Seychelles, the Maldives, and the Swahili coast of East Africa in a web of monsoon-driven trade and royal dominion.

François Pyrard, a French navigator shipwrecked on the Maldives in 1602 and held captive until 1607, documented the Coco de mer in his account. According to Le coco de mer, premier migrant de l’océan Indien – Carnets de recherches de l'océan Indien, Pyrard reported that the Maldivian king held exclusive ownership, enforcing a royal monopoly. Finders were required to surrender the nuts to the king under penalty of hand amputation, reflecting the strict control over this resource. Pyrard noted its medicinal value, describing it as "a very medicinal thing and of great price," and observed that sudden wealth was often attributed to finding a Coco de mer, as seen in the phrase, "when someone becomes rich all of a sudden and in a short time, it is commonly said that he has found a [coco de mer] or amber." This is supported by The forbidden fruit of paradise? The ‘discovery’ of the coco de mer, Seychelles' treasured national symbol, which mentions Pyrard's observation of the Portuguese calling it "coco des Maldives" and its high trade value, reaching 30–40 ducats each, and up to 1,000 ecus on the Malabar coast (approximately 10,000 euros today).

Antonio Pigafetta, in his account of Magellan’s voyage, noted that the king of the Maldives controlled the trade of coco de mer. Pyrard mentioned that the King of the Maldives gained all his wealth from trading coco de mer and another mysterious commodity of the time, ambergris. According to the Florentine traveler Francesco Carletti, this remarkable ‘fruit’ was collected as a diplomatic gift, with the King of Siam receiving two from the King of the Maldives in the sixteenth century.

In Pyrard’s time, the Seychelles Islands remained an uninhabited wilderness, a remote archipelago untouched by permanent human settlement until the French established a colony there in 1770. Long before European colonization, however, these islands served as a seasonal refuge for sailors navigating the treacherous waters of the Indian Ocean. Maldivian sailors, alongside their Indonesian, Javanese, and Arab counterparts, would stop over during periods of bad weather, particularly during the monsoon season. It was during these visits that they encountered the Coco de Mer, a massive seed that washed ashore or grew in the islands’ pristine forests. Unlike any other fruit or seed, the Coco de Mer was prized for its rarity, its unusual shape, and its perceived medicinal and aphrodisiac properties. Yet, this treasure was not free for the taking

A Canvas Painting, with CE1585-1609 Royal Seal of Sultan Ibrahim Kalaafaanu with a compass and François Pyrard de Laval writing at a desk in the lower left corner.

—it belonged exclusively to the Sultan of the Maldives, who claimed dominion over it as the "Sultan of Land and Sea, Lord of the Twelve-Thousand Islands."

The Maldivian king’s claim to the Coco de Mer was absolute. Pyrard notes that all specimens of this extraordinary seed found in the Seychelles were collected on behalf of the Sultan, reinforcing his authority over both the natural resources of the region and the maritime routes that sustained his kingdom. The Maldives, an archipelago of coral atolls strategically positioned along Indian Ocean trade routes, thrived as a hub for merchants and sailors. During the monsoon season, when winds dictated the rhythm of travel, Maldivian merchants would extend their journeys beyond the Seychelles ( Thaavah Kara ) to the Swahili coast of East Africa, where they traded goods and rested in thriving coastal settlements like Lamu.

Lamu, founded in the 12th century, stands as one of the oldest and best-preserved examples of Swahili civilization. Located off the coast of present-day Kenya, this settlement exemplified the cultural and economic dynamism of the Swahili tradition, blending African, Arab, and Indian influences into a vibrant maritime society. For Maldivian merchants, Lamu and other Swahili ports were vital stopovers during their monsoon-driven voyages. Here, they exchanged goods such as spices, textiles, and perhaps even tales of the Coco de Mer, further embedding the seed’s mystique into the lore of the Indian Ocean world. While the Coco de Mer itself may not have been a primary trade commodity—its ownership being reserved for the Maldivian Sultan—it undoubtedly enhanced the prestige of the Maldives as a kingdom with access to such an extraordinary rarity.

The exclusivity of the Coco de Mer underscored the Sultan’s power in a region defined by fluidity and connectivity. As Pyrard describes, the Maldivian king’s title, "Sultan of the Maldives and Lord of the Twelve-Thousand Islands," reflected not only his rule over the scattered atolls but also his symbolic mastery over the sea and its treasures. The Coco de Mer, found drifting on the waves or gathered from the Seychelles’ shores, was a gift of the ocean, and its collection by Maldivian sailors reinforced the Sultan’s sovereignty over both land and sea. This royal monopoly persisted until the Seychelles ( Thaavah Kara) were settled in the late 18th century, when European powers began to disrupt the traditional networks of the Indian Ocean.

The story of the Coco de Mer, as woven through Pyrard’s observations, is more than a tale of a curious plant—it is a window into the intricate relationships that defined the precolonial Indian Ocean world. The uninhabited Seychelles, (Thaavah Kara) the Maldives, and the Swahili coast were linked by the rhythms of the monsoon and the ambitions of sailors and kings. The Coco de Mer, coveted and controlled by the Maldivian Sultan, symbolized the wealth and wonder of this maritime realm, a realm where nature and human endeavor converged. Even today, the Coco de Mer remains an emblem of rarity and intrigue, a testament to the enduring legacy of the Maldives’ historical dominion over the treasures of the sea.