Male' Hukuru Miskiy

Sample of decorative pattern on a lacquered wooden panel. Male' Friday Mosque

Male' Hukuru Miskiy (Male' Friday Mosque) is an ancient decorated mosque located in the city of Malé, Kaafu Atoll, Maldives. The mosque was originally constructed in 1658 AD by the Sultan of the Maldives over two years time, and was constructed mostly out of coral stone. The buiding is surrounded by a 17th century cemetery, whose coral stone headstones are intricately and uniquely carved^[1]. The site also includes a coral stone minaret.

The interior of the mosque has many valuable samples of traditional Maldivian art in the form of woodcarving and lacquerwork in panels and ceilings.^[2]

World Heritage Status

This site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List in the Cultural category.^[3]

Notes

1. ^ Male' Hukuru Miskiy/enclosing cemetery and Minaret - UNESCO World Heritage Centre
2. ^ Xavier Romero-Frias, The Maldive Islanders, A Study of the Popular Culture of an Ancient Ocean Kingdom. Barcelona 1999, ISBN 84 7254 801 5
3. ^ Male' Hukuru Miskiy/enclosing cemetery and Minaret - UNESCO World Heritage Centre

References

Male' Hukuru Miskiy/enclosing cemetery and Minaret - UNESCO World Heritage Centre Retrieved 2009-03-02.