The Maldives to luxury resorts: rare footage of the 1970s archipelago (9 photos)

Today, the Maldives is associated with overwater villas, turquoise lagoons, and luxury vacations, but just half a century ago, the archipelago looked completely different. German photographer Michael Friedel first visited the islands in 1973 on a work assignment to showcase the Maldives' tourism potential. But instead of a short trip, the project turned into a multi-year chronicle of life in the country before the tourism boom.

Friedel's photographs capture fishing villages, the traditional way of life of local residents, quiet beaches, and everyday life without luxury hotels and infinity pools. For decades, the photographer documented the atmosphere of the archipelago, which had not yet become the symbol of the "perfect vacation" of social media and Pinterest. His work shows the Maldives as almost no one remembers them – tranquil, untouched, and utterly authentic.

Some of this unique archive was later included in the book "Maldives," published in 1999. Today, these images are seen as rare visual evidence of the era before mass tourism and the islands' transformation into one of the world's most popular vacation destinations.