Early history 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 to
Hinduism, polytheist animism, and
Buddhism. During this era, various cultural icons developed, such as the
torogan, the
singkil dance, the darangen epic, the unique Maranao gong and metal craft culture, the
sarimanok, the
okir motif, and an indigenous
suyat script.
Spanish colonization In April 1639, Spanish conquistador
Sebastián 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. In 1689, the Spaniards discovered a settlement named
Dansalan at Lake Lanao's northern end. Lanao was the seat of the Sultanate of Lanao. map in 1918
Division In 1959,
Lanao was divided into two provinces,
Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur, under
Republic Act No. 2228.
Marawi was designated as the capital of Lanao del Sur. The city was renamed the "Islamic City of Marawi" in 1980, and is currently the Philippines' only city having a predominantly Muslim population. The division never took place due to the declaration of
Martial law in the Philippines on September 21, 1972, which disrupted the elections for 1973.
Inclusion to the ARMM In a 1989
plebiscite, Lanao del Sur voted to join the
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), but the city of Marawi voted to remain outside the ARMM. It later joined ARMM in 2001 following the plebiscite that sought to expand the autonomous region.
Contemporary The
Battle 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 the
torogan as inspiration for the rehabilation of Marawi after the
Battle of Marawi. The petition was released in opposition to the possible Manila Rehabilation Effect that the government plans to impose. The
Manila-style rehabilation would establish shanty houses and buildings without Maranao architectural styles, thus destroying Marawi's
Maranao cultural skyline. The petition advocates a
Warsaw-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 the
okir,
sarimanok, and inspirations from the
torogan. The Warsaw-style is also foreseen to boost tourism in the city in the long-run due to the cultural aesthetics it would bring. ==Governors after the People Power Revolution==