Friday is the holy day in the Muslim world, and our boss, the Minister of Information, has insisted that we take the day off. I decided to make use of the time by seeing a few of the sights around Male. Most of them are concentrated in the old Muslim center. I am standing in front of the former Sultan's Palace. It was built in 1908 for a Sultan who was deposed. It became the presidential palace in 1953 but later President Gayoom built a much nicer one a short distance away and this one is no longer used for that purpose. The Islamic center also includes the 16th century mosque and cemetery. Maldives has applied to make it a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 
I also walked by the the Grand Friday Mosque. I couldn't go in any of them because they are only to be used for purposes of prayer. They were all definitely in use at the time. I also passed by the entrance to Sultan Park on my walk, where a bomb was set off last September. The bombers were caught and convicted after a police raid on an island that is said to be a haven for extremists. During my travels in news vans I have seen the president's palace and office as well as the tsunami memorial.
No comments:
Post a Comment