National Museum in Maldives

Attractions of National Museum of Maldives

This museum on the island of Malé is located in the Sultan Park, which was previously the site of the 17th-century Royal Palace of Maldives. The museum is currently administered by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture of Maldives. The old three-storied museum building is located in the Sultan Park in Malé. The newly renovated whitewashed building of the National Museum is also in Sultan Park. The interior of the new building retains the charm of the days of the Sultanate and the handwritten Quran is engraved on the walls.

The galleries at downstairs are devoted to the ancient and medieval chapters of Maldivian history. Collection on display here includes weaponry, religious paraphernalia, and carved pieces of wood which commemorate the conversion of the island to Islam in 1153. The upstairs gallery showcases the modern period including the lacquer-work boxes (for which the Maldives is known for), the country’s first gramophone, and a massive computer. There is also an impressive marine collection including the 6-meter-long skeleton of the Longman’s Beaked Whale.

For travelers in the Maldives, the National Museum is worth spending a few hours perusing its eclectic contents that contain ceremonial thrones, palanquins, rifles, and priceless items excavated from the temple dating back to the country’s pre-Islamic days. In an attack by some religious extremists in February 2012, a six-faced coral statue and an 18-inch bust of Buddha along with some coral statues were severely damaged. However, the remaining collections of the National Museum Maldives offer an insight into the wealth of the island’s history.

Facts About National Museum in the Maldives

There are intricately carved pieces of wood at the National Museum that signify the conversion of the Maldives into Islam in the year 1153

National Museum houses Maldives’ first telephone, gramophone, and a huge gramophone

There is a rare Longman’s Beaked Whale skeleton at the museum that is around 6 meters long. The interesting fact about this is that this whale is yet to be sighted alive in the ocean.