Sightseeing in Male Atoll - what to see. Complete travel guide

North Male is the main atoll of the Maldives. This is where the capital of the republic, Malé, with its priceless attractions, cultural centers and luxury hotels is situated. The atoll comprises of 50 islands, of which only 8 are inhabited. It’s noteworthy that each island has its own unique task: there is the island-capital, the airport island, the poultry farm island and even the island-pantry storing fuel reserves. The atoll is known primarily as a popular beach holiday place, but fans of excursions won’t be bored there.

Much of the important tour facilities are concentrated in the state capital, the city of Male, which in itself is a landmark of global importance. It’s one of the smallest capitals in the world occupying less than 2 square kilometers, so you can easily get around on foot in just 30 minutes.

The main symbol of Male and the oldest building on its territory is the beautiful mosque Hukuru Miskiity built in the 17th century. Blocks of coral were used for construction; the forefront is decorated with exquisite Arabic script. The mosque looks unique and is considered not only the oldest, but also the most beautiful architectural monument of the capital. The interior of the mosque is also amazingly luxurious, there you can see a huge hand-woven carpet and a lot of jewelry. It should be noted that the mosque has a rather impressive scale, so it can accommodate more than 5,000 people at the same time. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

The most striking architectural monument of the 20th century is Theemuge, an iconic building with a facade of white and blue. It was built for the last sultan of the country; not only the building itself, but also the surrounding beautiful garden has managed to survive. Part of the historic building belongs now to the National Museum introducing amazing and diverse culture of the indigenous population to visitors.

A very interesting exhibition of the Museum of Male represents priceless archaeological artifacts. Here you can see ancient Buddhist statues that adorned temples a thousand years ago, and one of the most interesting sections is the collection of thrones that once belonged to local sultans. Esjehi tour gallery is another interesting object, it’s home to artisan workshops. The gallery regularly hosts interesting exhibitions and workshops, so it’s a popular place to search for souvenirs.

Barbary shrine is notable among interesting attractions. That’s the tomb of the famous traveler Abdul Barakat Yoosuf Al Barbary. It’s believed that he brought the culture of Islam to local islands. Speaking of outstanding things of Male, it’s impossible to miss the local market. This is a busy place with an amazing atmosphere, where you can fully experience the distinctive and harmonious way of life.

North Male Atoll is famous for its gorgeous beaches that are not only attractive but also spacious. Despite a great number of vacationers and numerous boats, water is always clean near the island. Many beaches are surrounded by fabulous palm tree groves. There are coastal areas suitable for trouble-free beach recreation and scuba diving. The atoll is also famous for its rich marine fauna.

A large part of the beaches is owned by hotels, there are just a few public beaches on the atoll. Vilingili is an uninhabited island that has one of the best public beaches in the region. It is easy to reach it by boat. The beach always has many locals who like to relax there. Tourists visit this island for one more reason – to explore the beautiful local nature. There are several interesting underwater sights close to North Male Atoll, so this place attracts divers from all over the world.

Numerous fans of scuba diving come to explore sunken ships, some of which have been left untouched for more than a century. The Seagull steamer is one of the most interesting sites. The watercraft sank near the atoll in 1879. There are two more sunken ships nearby, namely, Erlangen and Lady Christine. They also sank at the end of the 19th century. Coastal waters of local islands have many coral reefs that have caused many shipwrecks. As it was technically and financially hard to bring those sunken ships back to the land, they remained to lay underwater and turned into true tourist landmarks.