Cultural Sites
Malé: Malé, built on an island of less than 4 sq kms, is one of the smallest capitals in the world. As opposed to the other island in the Maldives, Malé has high-rise buildings and paved roads. Government offices are located in one area and the main streets are lined with shops and offices. The old bazaar area is the hub of wholesale and retail trade. Interesting places to visit includes the fish market and the local market at the northern waterfront. Watch ‘dhonis’ unload dried fish, fresh fruits and vegetables from the atolls. The new harbour is located in the south-west corner of Malé. The 400-year old Friday Mosque, Mulee-aage, and the Islamic Centre are interesting landmarks.
Friday Mosque: Built in the 17C, the Huskuru Miskiiy or Friday Mosque served the population of Malé as their main mosque for almost four centuries, until the Islamic Centre and Grand Friday Mosque took over the function in 1984. Built by Sultan Ibrahim Iskandhar in 1656, the mosque is a masterpiece of coral curving and traditional workmanship. The walls of the mosque are hewn together with blocks of filigree-curved coral blocks. Heavy wooden doors slide open to the inner sanctums with lamp hangings of wood and panels intricately curved with Arabic writings.
Mulee-aage: In front of the Hukuru Miskiiy is Mulee-aage, a palace built in 1906 by Sultan Mohamed Shamsuddeen III. The palace, with its wrought iron gates and fretwork friezes on its roof edges and well-kept garden, was intended for his son, but the Sultan was deposed. It became the President’s Official Residence when Maldives became a republic in 1953 and remained so until 1994, when the new Presidential Palace was built. At present Mulee-aage houses the President’s Office.
The Islamic Centre: As you approach Malé, you will see one of its famous architectural landmarks - the Islamic Centre with its golden dome. Completed in 1984, the Centre consists of a mosque which can house 5,000 people, an Islamic library, conference hall, classrooms and offices.
The island of Utheemu: Located on Haa Alif, the Utheemu island lies close to the hearts of the Maldivian people since Sultan Mohammed Thakurufaanu, a national hero who liberated the Maldive Islands from Portuguese rule in the 16C, lived here. The 500 year old ancestral home of this sultan still remains on the island.
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Museums
The National Museum is housed in an Edwardian style building, the only remaining building of the former Sultan’s Palace, which is now the Sultan’s Park. The museum is open daily except Friday and public holidays from 9.00-11.40 and 3.00- 5.40. There is a small admission fee.
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Arts & Crafts
Music & Dance: Bodu Beru is the most popular form of music and dance in the country with a Bodu Beru troupe in almost every inhabited island and is regularly played at functions and festivals. The musical instruments used in Bodu Beru consist of three or four drums and a variety of percussion instruments. The drums are made from hollowed coconut wood and covered with manta ray skin or goat hide. A lead singer chants the lyrics and a chorus follows as they clap to the beat of the drums. The rhythm build as the song continues until it reaches a frenzied crescendo. As the rhythm picks up, dancers come out from amongst the troupe swaying to the rhythm. Other traditional forms of music and song include Raivaru, farihi and bandhi. Western pop and Indian music is also increasingly popular.
Crafts: Hand carved wooden ornaments and containers are the most distinctive of the Maldivian handicrafts. These hand crafted items are produced in Thulhaadhoo in Baa Atoll and includes beautifully crafted boxes, containers and ornamental objects. Made from the local Funa (Alexandrian laurel) which grows abundantly throughout the country, they come in various shapes and sizes; small pillboxes, vases of various sizes to round and oval plates with lids. These elegant pieces are lacquered in strands of red, black and yellow resin and delicately carved with flowery patterns.
Thundu Kunaa mats which are hand-woven are produced throughout the country with the most famous ones woven by the women of Gadhdhoo in Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll. Mats range in size from place mat to a single mattress. The women of Gadhdhoo collect reeds called haa from the nearby island of Fioari. They are dried in the sun and stained with natural dyes, the colour varying from fawn to black. Intricate abstract designs are woven on a handloom according to the imagination and skill of the weaver.
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Shopping
We recommend shopping for local arts & crafts and souvenirs when you visit an inhabited island nearby your island resort. This will ensure that your purchases will directly benefit the local community. Shopping is also possible in Malé. The Majeedhee Magu, which is the main road in Malé, has along its sides various shops selling goods from the smallest commodities to virtually everything you could think of. Most souvenir shops are found in the northern end of Chaandanee Magu in Malé. The Hululle International Airport has some shops where you can catch up on some duty free shopping.
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Food & Drink
Maldivian cuisine is a spicy blend of Arabic, Indian, Sri Lanka and Oriental flavours with fish, mainly tuna, being a favourite dish. Resorts on the Maldives usually have international cuisine and interpretations of local dishes as a part of their buffets. For those wishing to try authentic Maldivian cuisine, we recommend eating at a café in the capital, Malé. Here varieties of snacks or 'short-eats' – pastries such as samosas are served. Lunch includes fish and curries served with roti (pancake style bread).
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