"Lanao" means "lake", derived fromranao. The province, situated atbasin ofLake Lanao, is known as the land of the "Maranaos" (which means "the "people of the lake").[3]
Prior to the arrival of Islam, the region already had a sophisticated culture, as embodied in various Maranao epics, chants, and recorded history. The people of Lanao used to adhere toHinduism, polytheist animism, andBuddhism. During this era, various cultural icons developed, such as thetorogan, thesingkil dance, the darangen epic, the unique Maranao gong and metal craft culture, thesarimanok, theokir motif, and an indigenoussuyat script.[4][5]
In April 1639, Spanish conquistadorSebastián Hurtado de Corcuera conducted an expedition near Lanao along with troops consisting of Christianized Filipinos. In 1640, the Spanish created a garrison near Lanao but was attacked by indigenous Maranaos.[6] In 1689, the Spaniards discovered a settlement namedDansalan at Lake Lanao's northern end.[7] Lanao was the seat of the Sultanate of Lanao.[3]
During the Pre-Spanish time, there were 4 important boundaries which held the power of appointing a new sultan namely:Bakayawan,Dalama,Madamba andSawer. In appointing a newsultan the permission of these four boundaries are needed to validate the new sultan appointed to his position.
In 1956,Republic Act No. 1552 changed the nameDansalan toMarawi, taken from the wordrawi, referring to the reclining lilies abundant in theAgus River.[8]
In 1959,Lanao was divided into two provinces,Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur, underRepublic Act No. 2228.Marawi was designated as the capital of Lanao del Sur.[9] The city was renamed the "Islamic City of Marawi" in 1980, and is currently the Philippines' only city having a predominantly Muslim population.[3]
In a 1989plebiscite, Lanao del Sur voted to join theAutonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), but the city of Marawi voted to remain outside the ARMM.[3] It later joined ARMM in 2001 following the plebiscite that sought to expand the autonomous region.
TheBattle of Marawi began and ended in 2017. The battle was against ISIL-affiliated militants, a number of which were Malaysian citizens. The battle destroyed most of the cityscape of Marawi and killed hundreds of civilians and Filipino soldiers.
A petition was released in support for the usage of thetorogan as inspiration for the rehabilation of Marawi after theBattle of Marawi. The petition was released in opposition to the possible Manila Rehabilation Effect that the government plans to impose. TheManila-style rehabilation would establish shanty houses and buildings without Maranao architectural styles, thus destroying Marawi'sMaranao cultural skyline. The petition advocates aWarsaw-style Rehabilation Effect, where the culture and styles of a particular area is used as foundation for rehabilitation of built heritage and landscape. Among the local architectural styles that may be used under the Warsaw-style are theokir,sarimanok, and inspirations from thetorogan. The Warsaw-style is also foreseen to boost tourism in the city in the long-run due to the cultural aesthetics it would bring.[citation needed]
Located within the province isLanao Lake, the second largest in the country, its waters drained by theAgus River which eventually empties intoIligan Bay.[3]
The climate in the province is characterized by even distribution of rainfall throughout the year, without a distinct summer season. The province is located outside the typhoon belt.[3]
The population of Lanao del Sur in the 2020 census was 1,195,518 people,[2] with a density of 310 inhabitants per square kilometre or 800 inhabitants per square mile.
Most of the people of Lanao del Sur are practitioners ofIslam.[3] The majority of them areSunni. The number of Muslims in this province is 1,131,726 or nearly 95% of the total population of the province of Lanao del Sur.[16]
UNESCO has inscribed one Maranao element, theDarangen Chants of the Maranao People of Lake Lanao, in theRepresentative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008. The element was earlier inscribed in the UNESCO Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity Representative List in 2005. The organization has also designated theOld Town of Tugaya as aUNESCO Home for Culture and Heritage. UNESCO has recommended for the nomination of Tugaya and all of Lanao del Sur's traditional crafts heritage inRepresentative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, following reports made in 2014 and 2015. The Philippine ambassador to UNESCO and France noted that it will be better to inscribe Maranao's traditional crafts in theList of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding as they have been endangered due to the 2017Battle of Marawi. The nomination is being finalized by the Philippine government, as announced in 2018. The torogans of Lanao are also recommended by UNESCO to be nominated in theWorld Heritage List once proper documentation and restoration has been completed. Two torogans have been bought by a controversial heritage resort company,Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar, and were transported to Bataan, sparking a provincial campaign to get back the two royal houses to their ancestral homeland.[25]
^Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Department of Agriculture:Lanao del SurArchived January 19, 2015, at theWayback Machine (There are major discrepancies among authoritative sources: 4121.3 km² (NAMRIA); 1,349,437 ha (NSCB, this value seems unreasonable and must be assumed as erroneous, seeTalk:Lanao del Sur#Area))
^abcdefghiLancion, Conrado M. Jr. (1995). "The Provinces; Lanao del Sur".Fast Facts about Philippine Provinces. cartography by de Guzman, Rey (The 2000 Millennium ed.). Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines: Tahanan Books. pp. 94–95.ISBN971-630-037-9. RetrievedDecember 25, 2015.
Media related toLanao del Sur at Wikimedia Commons
Geographic data related toLanao del Sur atOpenStreetMap
Province ofLanao del Sur
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