Male' - the capital

The National Museum
The National Museum is located in Sultan Park, which was part of the Sultan’s palace. The museum is a conversion of an old palace building which is open to the public, daily, from 9.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m., except on Fridays and Public holidays.   For the many tourists who flock into the museum every year, it is a place that adds colour to their trip, which to those interested in history, it offers many valuable objects for study. As a large number of visitors to the museum are foreign nationals, there is a need to organize the artifacts so they are displayed in a more meaningful manner. Work is in progress to rear range all the times in the Museum. A short historical description of each item will be attached. Background  The Objects on Display  Interesting Items  Conservation
Background The National Museum was opened on the National Day, 1 Rabeeul Awwal 1372 A.H., (19th November 1952) by the then Prime Minister, Ameer Mohamed Amin Didi. The Museum was established in the hope to preserve the history and, to invoke a sense of patriotism among the people. The Museum is "Usge (Upper House)", in the compound of what used to be the sultan’s Palace. Later the Museum was transferred to "Billoorijehige" (at present the National Library of Maldives), for sometime, after which it was reinstated in "Usage".  The Objects on Display
The valuable collections of the National Museum are large and varied. It includes stone objects belonging to the Maldives’ pre-Islamic period, royal chairs and palanquins, costumes and ornaments worn by various kings and queens, arms and armour, paper and cloth manuscripts, photographs of important personalities and events, anthropological objects and other historical materials that enable one to journey through centuries of Maldivian culture, tradition, belief and their past way of life. It is a notable fact that throughout the ages there were constant efforts to preserve historical objects. Of the artifacts contained in the museum, many were donated by private parties, some found at the palace or brought by the government and some obtained from excavations carried out in various parts of the country.
There is a continuous effort to find more historical items for the Museum and funds are set aside especially for this purpose. The National Council for linguistic and historical Research has been conducting studies based on which it carries out diggings to search for historical remains. Two of the most important items being exhibited in the National Museum are coral stone head of a statue of Lord Buddha and wooden panel erected in the Hukuru Miskiiy (Friday Mosque) in 737 A.H. The head of Lord Buddha, amongst other similar objects, indicated that Buddhism existed in the Maldives before conversion to Islam, while the panel which is about four meters long bears an Arabic inscription that gives the date of conversion of the Maldives to Islam. Like most of the objects in the Museum these two items need conservation treatment.    Interesting Items
The Museum houses several antiques that are thought of as having belonged some of the past heroes of the country. They include "Feylikolhu" (loincloths) of Bodu Thakurufaanu (Sultan Mohammed Thakurufaanu the Great, 1573-1585 A.D.), the hero who rescued the country from the Portuguese occupation; and the "Fagudi" (headdress) of Ghazee Hassan Izzadhdheen (1759-1767 A.D.) the hero who rescued Maldives from The Indian Mopla Rule.
Other interesting objects in the Museum: Sultan Mohammed Shamsudhdheen ‘s - (1903-1934) "Dholhi-dhaankolhu" Special servants carried this decorated palanquin during processions, so that if the Sultan needed to be carried, there would be a means of transport at his disposal. Relic Pots (Pre-11th century) These were used for religious purpose during the days when Buddhism was practiced in Maldives. Five-Faced coral stone (Pre-11th century) These suggest the practice of Tantrism – the sect of Buddhism, which resembles Hinduism the most. Stone slabs with drawings etched in them. Known as Lord Buddha’s Paduka (a drawing of the foot print of Lord Buddha), these slabs indicate the practice of a very early form of Buddhism. Bohomal stones Often mistaken to be phallic stones, these were used in the railings of temples for temples for decorative purposes.   Conservation
Intense heat, high humidity and subsequently growth of moulds and tropical insects such as termites and beetles are the root cause of damage to most of the objects.   Hence, the need to establish a conservation treatment centre is one of the highest priorities of National Council for Linguistic and Historical Research for upgrading the Museum.   The National Council for Linguistic and Historical Research is planning to add an extension to the Museum to alleviate the problems caused by lack of space. Work on the extension is to begin shortly.