It is a big day for the smallest country in Asia on July 26th, 2025, as the Maldives celebrates its 60th Independence Day.
The Maldives has enjoyed a stellar international reputation for tourism, with its pristine beaches and blue atolls consistently appearing in top results on web browsers when searching for ‘The Maldives’. It is no wonder that almost 30% of the nation’s GDP comes from tourism.
However, there is much more to explore when travelling to the Maldives beyond a beautiful tropical getaway. Diplomatic Network (Asia) wishes to explore the urban side of the Maldives through its oldest standing building.
Malé Friday Mosque
Malé, the dense capital of the Maldives, serves as the epicentre of the long history of these islands. For nearly a thousand years, Malé was ruled by a Sultan and served as a hub on the Indian Ocean trade route between India, China, and the Arab world.
In one of the city’s most colourful episodes, the famed traveller Ibn Battuta was appointed as a qadi, an Islamic judge, during his nine-month stay on the island. Ibn Battuta’s detailed descriptions of the city are invaluable to historians of the Medieval Indian Ocean.
During the era of Colonialism, Malé successfully repelled European assaults, with large coastal walls and defences being constructed and left to stand for another 300 years until they were eventually demolished upon independence.
The oldest building in Malé is the Friday Mosque, which stands as one of the few remaining examples of the Maldives’ unique coral-stone architecture from centuries past. In 2008, the Friday Mosque was added to UNESCO’s tentative list of World Heritage Sites.
Located in the city centre next to other important government buildings, the Malé Friday Mosque is a worthwhile visit for tourists interested in understanding the heritage of the hospitable Maldivian people.
*Diplomatic Network (Asia) wishes the Maldives a happy 60th Independence Day!
