Old Friday Mosque

Built in 1658 on the site of an older mosque, Hukuru Miskiy is the Maldives' most remarkable building and one of the finest examples anywhere of coral-stone architecture: blocks of reef coral cut, shaped and fitted without mortar, their surfaces carved into interlocking patterns of extraordinary precision. Inside, lacquered wooden panels carry Quranic inscriptions, some commemorating the islands' conversion to Islam in the twelfth century. Outside stand carved coral gravestones in a walled cemetery and a squat, round white minaret from 1675. It is a working mosque and a window into a craft tradition the sea itself supplied.

What you actually see

• The carved coral-stone walls - reef blocks cut and fitted without mortar.
• The lacquered interior panels - Quranic woodwork and historic inscriptions.
• The coral gravestones - the walled cemetery's carved markers.
• The 1675 minaret - the stubby white tower beside the mosque.

When to go

Any month works - the visit is short and largely sheltered. Visiting hours sit outside prayer times, and Fridays are effectively off limits to visitors. Male is easily combined with an arrival or departure day, since the airport is a short ferry ride away.

Honest expectations

Access is the honest hurdle: non-Muslim visitors need advance permission, and turning up unannounced usually means admiring it from outside the wall. Dress is strictly modest - long sleeves and trousers or a long skirt, headscarf for women - and shoes come off at the door. Photography inside may be restricted. A local guide smooths the whole process and adds the history that makes the stonework land.

Nearby

Male's fish market, the Islamic Centre's golden dome and the waterfront are all within a short walk.