The Maldives converted to Islam in 1157. Although the country is governed by the Republic, Islamic rules are quite dominant.
The stance of the capital Male and the islands are completely different in this country, which is 100% Muslim.. On the hotel islands, tourists are sunbathing, doing water sports, and having a drink.. In the capital Male, on the other hand, women are dressed in a very mutasib, most of them covered, men do not want to answer women even if they are tourists, alcohol is completely prohibited and the call to prayer is loud.
If you haven’t seen Male, “Maldives is a unique holiday place” you can say. Yes it is, again beautiful, again unique. But there is the other side of a job, the Male side.. I think you should see this place too.. Transportation to the island is provided by motorbikes.
Male’s population is approximately 130,000 and there are plenty of mosques as almost all of them are Muslims.. Male is also the commercial center of the country.. Also known as Mahal. The length of the island is 1.7 km and its width is 1 km.. Naturally, it is one of the cities with the highest population density in the world.. Since there is not enough space left on the island, they are building an island called Hulhumale between Male and the island of Hulhule, where the airport is located. was under. However, when we went, we saw that they had healed their wounds.
Our hotel is Relax Inn, which is right across the pier.. While having breakfast on its terrace, we see distant islands. And this turquoise sea creates a stir. I say, “Let’s go to the islands now”, but before that we have a half-day city tour.
First we walk along Boduthakurufaanu Magu, the main street of Male.. Roads and streets are full of motorcycles.
There are many government buildings on this street.. Government buildings such as the presidential palace and the parliament building are lined up on the beach.. The Turkish consulate is also on this street.
The main square is Jumhooree Maidhaan with a big flagpole.. It means independence square.. There is a small park here and a police building next to it.
There are tiny piers along the coast where the sea engines that provide transportation throughout the country dock, they call them jetty.. Jetty-1 becomes the pier used by the government. Jetty 9 and jetty 10 are used for airport transportation.. Others belong to the motors that go to and from the island hotels.
We are going to Fish in the early morning.. This place is known as Fish Market. Located on the west side of Independence Square. Lots of fishing boats moored in front of the fish market. They bring the fish they catch in the morning to the market.
There are all kinds of fish in the market.. Here we watch the fishermen cleaning the fish. They sort the fish at an incredible speed.. It was a very pleasant place.. You have a chance to find fresh fish in the morning, but it gets a little more crowded in the afternoon.
There is a fruit and vegetable market right across this market.. Although this market is not very big, it is quite colorful.
Then, in 1656, 1. We are going to see the Friday Mosque, which was built by Sultan İbrahim Iskandar.. His real name is Hukuru Miskiiy. They do not allow non-Muslims to enter this mosque.. Entry is free for Muslims.
The Islamic Center, one of Male’s most well-known buildings, is located to the south of Jumhooree Maidhaan.. This center contains the largest mosque in the entire Maldives.. It attracts attention with its golden dome.. 5,000 people can pray at the same time.
Another important point is the Maldives National Defense Unit, located opposite the Islamic center.. Can’t get in here. It is not photographed from the outside either.
The building that used to be the Sultan’s palace is now used as a museum and is located in the park called Sultan Park.
Shopping shops are usually on the second floor of the buildings.. Entrance is made by climbing narrow stairs.. However, I must point out that it is very very very expensive.. For example, a shark tooth from Australia can be bought for $20, and it starts at least $100 here.. That’s why I recommend you to be careful while shopping.
