The golden dome
Best when lit at night.
FaysaLBinDaruL — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rhalu7 — CC0 · FaysaLBinDaruL — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Zairon — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Zairon — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Zairon — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Zairon — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Zairon — CC BY-SA 4.0
Malé's largest mosque, officially the Masjid al-Sultan Muhammad Thakurufaanu al-Auzam, named after the sultan celebrated as one of the great heroes of Maldivian history. President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom laid its cornerstone on 11 November 1982 and opened it on 11 November 1984. The centre was built with support from Islamic countries including Saudi Arabia, Brunei, Pakistan, Malaysia and the UAE, and a plate in the grand entrance, engraved in Dhivehi, Arabic and English, names their leaders. A large golden dome crowns the building, the minaret stands 41 metres tall, and the mosque holds about 5,000 worshippers. The prayer hall is broad and white with a red carpet; the qibla wall carries carved wooden panels with Arabic calligraphy, set among stained-glass windows, wooden lattice screens and large chandeliers. The building also has a conference hall for official ceremonies and an Islamic library. Entry is free. The mosque receives visitors outside prayer times per visitor guides, in modest dress covering shoulders and knees, with women covering their hair. It is busiest at Friday prayers, and the golden dome looks its best when lit in the evening. It stands a few steps from the Old Friday Mosque, so the two are easy to see together.
Best when lit at night.
Carved wood and calligraphy.
In three languages.
Central Malé, a few steps from the Old Friday Mosque
National Museum of the MaldivesThe national museum of the Maldives first opened on 11 November 1952; today it o2 minutes walk4.2
Malé Old Friday Mosque (Hukuru Miskiy)The oldest and most ornate mosque in the Maldives, in the heart of the capital, 3 minutes walk4.5
Tsunami Monument, MaléA memorial in Malé to the victims of the tsunami of 26 December 2004, when the w16 minutes walk4.0Yes, outside prayer times per visitor guides, in modest dress covering shoulders and knees, with women covering their hair. Entry is free.