Malé

Malé is the capital of the Maldives, covering a small island at the southern edge of the North Malé Atoll in the Indian Ocean. Almost the whole island is built up, and its streets of tall houses and shops reach the seawall on every side.

Malé was the seat of the sultans of the Maldives for centuries, and their palace stood on the island until the 20th century. Coral stone from the reef was the building material of the old town, and a few houses of that kind still stand among the newer blocks. Islam came to the islands in the 12th century, and the Hukuru Miskiy, the Old Friday Mosque, was built in 1658 from blocks of coral stone carved with patterns and verses. The Maldives became a British protectorate in the 1880s and an independent republic in the 1960s, with Malé as its capital. New land was reclaimed from the lagoon to the northeast to build Hulhumalé, a planned town linked to Malé by the Sinamalé Bridge, opened in 2018.

Tuna caught by pole and line around the atolls is landed at the fish market on the northern harbor and sold whole on tiled tables. Dhoni boats carry goods and passengers between Malé and the islands of the atolls. The Velana International Airport, on the neighboring island of Hulhulé, brings the visitors who stay at the resort islands of the country.

The Grand Friday Mosque, with its gold dome, stands in the Islamic Centre beside a park. The National Museum, in Sultan Park, shows the thrones, lacquerwork and manuscripts of the sultans. The local market, beside the fish market, sells coconuts, betel leaves and smoked tuna.