Kudahuvadhoo

Kudahuvadhoo is the administrative centre of Dhaalu Atoll and holds an old mosque whose coral stone blocks are cut and fitted with a precision that specialists have singled out as the finest surviving example of the technique anywhere in the Maldives, the joints so tight that no mortar was needed. A large pre-Islamic mound stands on the island as well. The island has an airport and is the atoll's transport hub.

History

The Buddhist period on the island lasted from around 400 to 1258, and an unexcavated mound, or hawitta, is the ruin of a pre-Islamic temple; Thor Heyerdahl, who explored the island in the early 1980s, praised the masonry of its ancient coral-stone mosque (Wikipedia, Kudahuvadhoo).

Highlights

• The mosque stonework - coral blocks cut and fitted without mortar to an exceptional standard.
• The pre-Islamic mound - the earlier structure surviving on the island.
• The atoll centre - the administrative and transport hub for Dhaalu.
• The coral technique - the Maldivian tradition of dressed coral masonry at its best.

When to go

November to April is the dry season with easier travel. Flights run from Malé daily. Mosque access depends on prayer times.

Before you go

The mosque is in use and access requires permission and appropriate dress. There is little else on the island for visitors. Accommodation is limited.

Nearby

Rinbudhoo is north, and Nilandhoo is northwest.

Key facts