Maldives

The oldest and most ornate mosque in Malé, completed in 1658 from interlocking blocks of coral stone whose outer walls are carved with decorative motifs and Qur'anic script. Inside is a treasury of Maldivian woodcarving and lacquerwork across columns, ceilings, and doors. Beside it stand the cylindrical Munnaaru minaret of 1674 or 1675 and a 17th-century cemetery of carved coral headstones, the ensemble has been on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List since 2008 (expanded in 2013).

UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List (Coral Stone Mosques of Maldives, 2013)Fareedhee Magu, phường Henveiru, Malé

Photo: David Stanley from Nanaimo, Canada, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

The defining architectural and spiritual landmark on the skyline of Male, Republic of Maldives, designed by Malaysian architect Dato Hajeedar Abdul Majid, inaugurated on November 11, 1984, and named in honor of sixteenth-century national liberator Sultan Muhammad Thakurufaanu Al-Auzam, celebrated for its gleaming golden dome, sail-finned white minaret facing the northern harbor, and three-story prayer hall for 5,000 worshippers adorned with Maldivian woodcarvings.

National Grand Mosque and Official Seat of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs of the Republic of MaldivesCorner of Medhuziyaaraiy Magu and Ameer Ahmed Magu, opposite Republic Square (Jumhooree Maidhaan), Male 20114, Republic of Maldives

Photo: Zairon, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

The largest contemporary mosque complex in the Republic of Maldives, rising along the eastern oceanfront of Male on Boduthakurufaanu Magu and opened for congregational worship in April 2022, featuring a six-story circular superstructure crowned by a tiered golden dome inspired by Bedouin tents and ocean waves, five slender minarets representing the Five Pillars of Islam, a column-free prayer hall, and a total capacity of nearly 10,000 worshippers.

Largest Congregational Mosque Complex in the Republic of Maldives and National Center for Quranic and Islamic StudiesBoduthakurufaanu Magu, Eastern Waterfront, Henveiru Ward, Male, Republic of Maldives

Photo: LittleT889, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

The largest and most scientifically excavated pre-Islamic Buddhist monastic complex (vihara) in the Maldives, situated on Kaashidhoo Island and dating from the fifth to the twelfth century CE before the archipelago's conversion to Islam in 1153, systematically excavated between 1996 and 1998 by Professor Egil Mikkelsen of the University of Oslo and Maldivian archaeologists to reveal 64 coral-stone stupas, monastic cells, and ritual deposits of over 64,000 cowrie shells.

Protected National Archaeological and Historical Heritage Site of the Republic of Maldives (largest excavated pre-Islamic Buddhist monument in the Maldivian archipelago)Kuruhinna Tharaagandu Archaeological Site, Kaashidhoo Island, 86 km north of Male across the Kaashidhoo Kandu Channel, Kaafu Atoll, Republic of Maldives

Photo: CRC43, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Two revered coral-stone landmarks in Male embodying the spiritual dawn and classical craftsmanship of Maldivian Islam: the Medhu Ziyaaraiy Shrine housing the tomb of North African scholar Abu al-Barakat Yusuf al-Barbari, credited with converting the Maldivian king to Islam in 1153 CE (548 AH), and the 1815 Eid Mosque (Eid Miskiy), a UNESCO Tentative World Heritage coral-stone sanctuary built of interlocking Porites blocks and lacquered timber under Sultan Muhammad Mueenuddeen I.

Protected National Historical Monuments of the Republic of Maldives and Component of the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List (Coral Stone Mosques of Maldives, submitted 2013, Ref. 5812)Medhu Ziyaaraiy Shrine on Medhuziyaaraiy Magu (adjacent to Muleeaage Palace) and Eid Miskiy on Majeedhee Magu, Male, Republic of Maldives

Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons