Maldives Cultural Attractions

Maldives Cultural Attractions

The capital of the Maldives, Male, is not a particularly pleasant city, and you will probably not spend much time there, since the rest of the country is far more beautiful.  Nevertheless, there are some interesting cultural attractions in the Maldives, most of which are found in the city of Male.

Maldives Cultural Attraction # 1: The National Museum

National Museum of the Maldives

The National Museum is located in Sultan Park, Male.  This small museum houses an interesting collection of things with a small amount of information about each piece. Pieces include historical artefacts, royal antiquities and pre-Islamic times.  There are also a number of textile collections, thrones and the highlight of the entire museum, a coral head of the Lord Buddha.  Despite the lack of information, the museum serves to fill a half-hour or so.  The National Museum was opened in 1952 by the then Prime Minister Mohamed Amin Didi.  There are talks about extending the museum to house more collections, although this has not begun so far.

Maldives Cultural Attraction # 2: Hukuru Miskiiy

Cultural Attractions in the Maldives - Hukuru Miskiiy

Hukuru Miskiiy is the oldest mosque in Maldives.  Also known as the Old Friday Mosque, it was built in the year 1956, during the reign of the Sultan Ibrahim Iskandhar I. Hukuru Miskiiy is an attractive building, made from coral stones.  The interior and exterior walls of Hukuru Miskiiy are beautifully carved with ornamental designs and Arabic writings. The doors, roof and window frames are all made out of various types of wood.

Maldives Cultural Attraction # 3: The Presidential Palace

The Presidential Palace is located on the islands, a few minutes walk from most of the other cultural attractions of the Maldives.  The Presidential Palace is newly created, but was built on the grounds of the previous Presidential Palace.  Unlike in some countries, the Maldivian President, currently Mr. Mohammed Nasheed, does live in the Presidential Palace.  The President’s offices are also located here.  The President occasionally hosts social events at the Palace.

Maldives Presidential Palace

Maldives Cultural Attraction # 4: Sultan Park

Apart from being home to another cultural attraction, the National Museum, Sultan Park in itself is one of the nicest cultural attractions of the Maldives.  The park is home to a nice variety of plant and flower life, and also several interesting animal and bird species.  Sultan Park is small, and the main attraction here is definitely the National Museum, but the park is a nice place to relax for a short while and take in the scents of the tropical plant life.

Sultan Park Maldives

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