Utheemu

Utheemu in the far north is where Muhammad Thakurufaanu was born, the leader who drove out the Portuguese occupation in 1573 and is the country's principal national hero, and the house his family lived in survives: a single-storey building of coral stone and carved timber with low doorways, swing beds and a small palace layout, restored and kept as a museum. It is the oldest domestic building preserved in the Maldives.

History

Utheemu Ganduvaru is the wooden palace in which Sultan Mohamed Thakurufaanu lived and grew up, and the kings of the Utheemu dynasty, who ruled from 1632 to 1692, all descended from this island (Wikipedia, Utheemu).

Highlights

• The wooden palace - the coral stone and carved timber house of the Thakurufaanu family.
• The swing beds - the suspended sleeping platforms inside.
• The carved doorways - the low timber openings between the rooms.
• The national hero connection - the birthplace of the leader who ended the Portuguese occupation.

When to go

November to April is the dry season with easier travel. The museum keeps daytime hours. The far north takes time to reach.

What to expect

Getting to the northern atolls takes a flight and a boat and is not a day trip from Malé. The house is small and half an hour covers it. Interpretation is limited.

Nearby

Kulhudhuffushi is southeast, and Hanimaadhoo airport is south.

Key facts