The Islamic City of Marawi today was formerly a municipality named Dansalan which was organized on May 24, 1907 under the Moro Province Administration.  Dansalan means a "place of destination", a rendezvous.

     The old Dansalan became a charter city on August 19, 1940, pursuant to Commonwealth Act No. 592, but was inaugurated only on September 30, 1950, due to the Pacific War.  Its granting of a charter was authored by the late Commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezon and late assemblyman and later, Senator Atty. Tomas Cabili.  On June 16, 1956, the then Senator Domocao Alonto changed the name Dansalan to Marawi through a Congressional Amendment of the Charter by the enactment of Republic Act No. 1552.  The changing was in honor of the Marawi Sultanate Confederation.

     On April 15, 1980, the city was renamed Islamic City of Marawi through the city Council Resolution No. 19-A during the incumbency of the Atty. Sultan Omar Dianalan as the city mayor considering that 92 percent of the people are Muslims and it is the "Center of Islamic Religion" in Southern Philippines.