Department of National Heritage (DNH) has expressed hope that its bid to list the country’s coral stone mosques as UNESCO World Heritage sites will be successful
A senior official working on the project, Mohamed Mauroof Jameel said that inclusion of the Maldives' coral stone mosques on the UNESCO World Heritage List will bring immense economic and social benefits to the country. “The Maldives should not be advertised just as an island nation which boasts sun, sand and sea but also as a country which has rich culture and heritage for visitors to see,” he said.
DNH has been working with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) experts to include 6 coral stones mosques on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The mosques are; Ihavandhoo Friday Mosque, Meedhoo Friday Mosque, Male' Friday Mosque, Male' Eid Mosque, Fenfushi Friday Mosque and Isdhoo Old Mosque.
Last month, the department held a workshop aimed at gathering experts to identify the unique features of coral stone mosques of the Maldives from the existing coral stone structures and architectural traditions in the Indian Ocean. DNH said it was aiming to conduct a comparative analysis of the coral stone mosques of Maldives with architectural traditions of the Indian Ocean and define the outstanding universal value of Maldivian coral stone mosques.
The Maldives has a total of 21 coral stone mosques across the country.