The Maldives: City Streets

I had found a street map of Malè with great difficulty on the internet, having been surprised at the scarcity of a city map in most of the tourist centers or hotels. The general outline map of Malè is available but not a detailed street map. I soon realized that maps are not a way of life in Malè, and street signs are not always displayed and when they are they are not easily visible. Street names seemed not to be important to local Maldivians. They use a more general sense of direction of where buildings and landmarks are and can take you to a destination but they cannot give you directions using street names to help you find your own way there.

Heading west on Bodhuthakurufaanu Magu my walk took me right along the waterfront since I wanted to catch the sunset over the Indian Ocean. I went past the various jetties for the island ferries, the island tour boats, the Coast Guard and police vessels, the fishing boats; and other supply boats that bring in most items sold in the markets because the country has to pretty much import everything. I walked past the bustling local vegetable and fruit market which obtained its produce even as it was being off-loaded from the boats; the fish market where there were pails of fish so fresh that they were still gasping for breath and struggling to get back into water; past the Customs building, the Port building, the warehouses and tiny stores all the way around until I came upon the west end of Majidhee Magu, the main artery in Malè. Right on the corner was the Vilingili hotel with its terrace-top restaurant the Raaveriya. I went up to the restaurant, got a table overlooking the ocean and the setting sun, ordered a fresh lime soda and spicy grilled tuna and sat down to enjoy the quiet transition of day into dark , marveling at the clean ocean just fifty feet from me, the boats on the sea and the sun sinking lower behind a distant island. When I left the restaurant I crossed the island in the darkening dusk, walking east on Majidhee Magu until I got to Sosun Magu where I turned left toward my hotel.

On one of my walks along the jetties I turned left onto Chandhanee Magu and passed the souvenir stores. There are some really interesting shops on Chandhanee Magu between Majidhee Magu and Bodhuthakurufaanu Magu, but closer to the latter. I went into one of the stores and ended up buying some coral and shell jewelry. After all, the entire country of The Maldives consists of coral islands and this was the place to buy coral! Apart from coral the country is also the tuna capital of the world.

On another day my walk along Fareedhee Magu took me through a very historical and political section of the city: Some of the landmarks I saw were: the Mulee-Aage, the President’s official residence which was built by Sultan Shamsuddeen III just before the first world war; the Hukuru Miskiiy, or Friday Mosque built in 1656 whose walls are made of coral stones and whose grounds hold several ancient tombstones in memory of past nobles and sultans; the Munnaaru, a white minaret built in 1675 from where the chief muezzin of Malè called the faithful to prayer; the Medhu Ziyaarath which is the shrine of Abu al Barakaath Yusuf al Barbari who is believed to be responsible for converting Maldives to Islam in 1153; the Islamic Center, opened in 1984, with its grandiose shining golden dome and a mosque that can hold 5000 worshippers; and the Sultan Park and National Museum. It was interesting to see that one of the buildings on the street housed the 100-year old Scouts Club of The Maldives!

Malè may be tiny but it is a uniquely historical, urban, thriving, busy port in its own right, with a large dose of friendly hospitality, youthful energy, and much optimism for the future…