Malé Friday Mosque Mosque

Address: Medhuziyaarai Magu area, Malé, Maldives

The Malé Friday Mosque, commonly known as Hukuru Miskiy or the Old Friday Mosque, is a historic mosque in central Malé, Kaafu Atoll, Maldives dating to the 17th century. It is noted for coral-stone construction and detailed carvings.

The site comprises a carved coral-stone prayer hall, an inner courtyard and an adjacent cemetery with ornate tombstones and gravestones bearing Arabic inscriptions. The mosque remains a functioning religious building and a focal historic monument in Malé.

Built in the 1600s, the mosque was commissioned under the rule of a 17th-century sultan and has been maintained and conserved as part of Malé’s historic core. It exemplifies traditional Maldivian craftsmanship using coral stone.

The mosque is located in the dense urban centre of Malé island, a short walk from the seafront and ferry terminals that connect the capital to other atolls.

• Age and materials: Constructed in the 17th century using hand-carved coral stone, it is one of Malé’s oldest mosques with an adjoining graveyard containing inscribed tombstones.

What to See#

• Prayer hall and cemetery: Prayer hall constructed from carved coral stone with traditional Maldivian timber and tile details, featuring intricate stone-carved mihrab and tombstones in the adjacent cemetery.
• Courtyard and urban setting: Courtyard and surrounding streetscape in central Malé that form part of the historic urban fabric of the capital.

The mosque is in central Malé and is a short walk from the ferry terminals and the capital’s main streets. Malé’s compact urban layout makes the mosque easily reachable on foot from most parts of the city.

• Respect local practice: the Friday Mosque is an active place of worship and modest dress is required for visitors.
• Photography inside may be restricted - ask before photographing worshippers or ritual spaces.
• Visit outside of Friday prayers if intending a tourist visit to avoid the busiest prayer times.