Work is underway to repair and renovate the Male' Friday Mosque, with financial and professional aid from India.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi first offered to assist in the repair, renovation and conservation of the Male' Friday Mosque during a visit to the Maldives in June 2019. India proposed USD 1.5 million for the efforts, which totals roughly MVR 23 million in free aid.
The project was delayed significantly due to the onset of Covid-19 in 2020. However, in March, a team from Archeological Survey of India arrived in Maldives and have begun documentation efforts to assess the scale of repairs and renovations needed at the Male' Friday Mosque. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), was established in the year 1861 is the premier organization for the archaeological researches and protection of the cultural heritage in India. Notable conservation efforts on behalf of ASI include that of the Jama Masjid of Delhi and the Angkor Wat complex in Cambodia, which is the largest religious structure in the world.
The project will be forwarded to tender this week, in order to source the workers, equipment and materials required to repair and renovate the historical archeological site. Both Maldivian and Indian parties will be able to take part in the tender process.
The Male' Friday Mosque is one of the oldest and grandest examples of traditional Maldivian architecture, made largely using coral. The mosque was added to the tentative UNESCO World Heritage cultural list in 2008, and represents artistic excellence and construction techniques unique tp the traditional builders and coral craftsmen of the Maldives.
Under the project to repair the Male' Friday Mosque, efforts will be made along the lines of structural conservation and chemical preservation. This will include working on the wood, beams, roofs, plaster and drainage of the building, along with clearing the mosque of termites and other assessing other factors that might compromise its structural integrity.
The work to repair and renovate the Male' Friday Mosque will be conducted in such a way as to not hinder worshippers during the holy month of Ramazan, and after due consideration for the monsoon rains. It is expected that the efforts to repair the mosque will conclude within two years.
Malé Friday Mosque was Built in 1656 during the reign of Ibrahim Iskandar I. It is the oldest mosque in the Maldives, and was built over an earlier mosque constructed in 1153 by the first Muslim Sultan of Maldives, Mohamed Bin Abdullah, after his conversion to Islam.
