Hukuru Miskiy: the Old Friday Mosque of Malé

*Hukuru* is the Dhivehi word for Friday, and *miskiy* means mosque. For centuries this was the capital’s main mosque for Friday congregational prayer. Today it is known as the Old Friday Mosque, to set it apart from the much larger Grand Friday Mosque, which opened nearby in 1984.

The complex has three parts:

• The mosque itself, a low prayer hall of carved coral stone on a raised base.
• The Munnaaru, a round minaret standing a short distance away.
• A walled graveyard of carved coral headstones around the mosque.

The Maldives Marketing and PR Corporation, the official tourism board, describes the mosque and the Munnaaru together as the oldest built structures in Malé today. They sit in Henveiru ward, a few minutes’ walk inland from the northern waterfront.

An older mosque on the same site

The present building was not the first. UNESCO’s Tentative List entry says it replaced an earlier, smaller mosque built of coral stone and lime mortar. A 1986 national report to UNESCO dates a Friday mosque in Malé to 1153, the year the country is traditionally said to have adopted Islam. Accounts differ on who built that first mosque, so treat the early details with care. Our history of the Maldives covers the conversion to Islam.

The 17th-century rebuilding

The mosque you see today was built under Sultan Ibrahim Iskandhar I, who reigned from 1648 to 1687. Work is usually said to have started in 1656 and finished in 1658. You will see both dates quoted: national news reports often give 1656, while UNESCO’s Tentative List and the official tourism board give 1658.

The minaret came later. The official tourism board dates the Munnaaru to 1675.

Repairs over the years

Coral stone and lacquered timber need constant care in a hot, salty climate. Recorded work includes:

• 2012: repairs after termite damage, as reported by national news in 2019.
• 2018: the complex was laser-scanned to record it in detail.
• 2019 onwards: under an agreement between the two governments, India offered a grant of USD 1.5 million (about MVR 23 million) for conservation. After delays caused by Covid-19, a team from the Archaeological Survey of India began work in Malé in March 2021.

The planned work covered repairs to woodwork, beams, roofs, plaster and drainage, plus chemical treatment of the timber and lacquer against decay and termites. Engineers from India’s Central Building Research Institute also studied the structure of the roof, and the National Centre for Culture and Heritage has said the courtyard headstones were treated to preserve them. We could not find an official statement that the whole project has finished, so expect to see scaffolding or fenced-off areas from time to time.

Coral stone, fitted like timber

The walls are made from blocks of *Porites*, a rounded reef coral. Freshly cut, it is soft enough to shape with hand tools, and it hardens as it dries. UNESCO’s description highlights how the blocks were joined: cut with tongue-and-groove joints and pins, much like a carpenter would join wood. National reports describe the blocks as fitted without mortar or lime.

Carving on the outside

Walk slowly around the outer walls and plinth. You will see:

• Arabic inscriptions, including verses from the Qur’an, cut into the stone.
• Geometric patterns in bands and panels.
• Flowing plant designs, such as leaves and scrolls.

Lacquer and wood inside

The interior is famous for its woodwork. The official tourism board notes coral columns holding up the roof, a vaulted, decorated ceiling made by master carpenters, and traditional carving and lacquer work. UNESCO’s entry singles out the quality of the coral carving and lacquer as exceptional.

Maldivian lacquer is built up in layers, usually red, black and yellow, then cut back to reveal patterns. The same craft still survives on a few islands. Our guide to traditional crafts of the Maldives explains how it is made.

The Munnaaru

The minaret is a short, round coral stone tower, quite unlike the tall, slender minarets of many other countries. It was built for the call to prayer and makes a handy landmark in the narrow streets.

The walled cemetery around the mosque is one of the most beautiful parts of the complex. It holds coral headstones from the 17th century onwards, many finely carved with script and patterns.

The official tourism board explains a simple way to read them:

• Rounded tops traditionally mark the graves of women.
• Pointed tops mark the graves of men.
• Gilded lettering traditionally marks royal graves.

This is a place of burial, not a museum. Look from the path or the wall, don’t step on graves, and never touch or lean on the headstones.

The road to World Heritage status has been long:

• 2008: the Maldives added “Malé Hukuru Miskiy, its cemetery and minaret” to its UNESCO Tentative List.
• 19 February 2013: that entry was replaced by a wider group, “Coral Stone Mosques of Maldives”, made up of six mosques: two in Malé and four on outer islands.
• 21 January 2026: the government submitted the full nomination dossier to UNESCO, covering five mosques, with Hukuru Miskiy at its heart.

The final decision lies with UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee. As of October 2026, the mosque is not yet inscribed as a World Heritage Site, whatever some websites say. Our guide to the coral stone mosques of the Maldives covers the other mosques in the nomination.

Seeing it from outside

You don’t need to go inside to enjoy the mosque. The carved outer walls, the Munnaaru and much of the graveyard can be seen from the surrounding lanes.

Going inside

It is an active mosque, used for daily prayer. Entry for non-Muslim visitors is limited and may need permission. If you hope to see the interior:

• Ask first. Speak to the attendants or caretakers on the spot, or ask your host to find out for you, and accept the answer.
• Avoid prayer times. There are five prayers a day. Friday midday prayer is the busiest of the week, and shops and cafés around Malé close for a while too.
• Dress modestly. Cover your shoulders and knees. Women should bring a scarf to cover their hair. Our dress code guide has more.
• Take off your shoes before stepping onto the mosque platform.
• Stay quiet and never walk in front of someone praying.

Muslim travellers are welcome to join prayers.

Photos and Ramadan

Ask before photographing people, and never photograph anyone at prayer. During Ramadan, don’t eat, drink or smoke in public in daylight, and expect the mosque to be busy in the evenings.

Getting there and fitting it in

Hukuru Miskiy is easy to reach on foot from the ferry terminals on Malé’s northern waterfront. It sits close to the Medhu Ziyaaraiy shrine, Muleeaage and Sultan Park, with the National Museum a short walk away. Our one day in Malé itinerary puts these stops into a simple walking route, and the historical sites of the Maldives guide shows where else to find old mosques, ruins and heritage across the atolls.

From Dhiffushi, on the eastern rim of North Malé Atoll, a shared speedboat to Malé takes about 40–50 minutes, so a morning in old Malé is easy to add on your way in or out. See how to get to Dhiffushi. On the island itself, the Dhiffushi mosque is a modern building, but the same customs apply.