Male Muslim Cemetery

Smack dab in the middle of a busy downtown Male lies a historic burial ground dating back to 1656!

The Muslim cemetery at Old Friday Mosque is so old, in fact, that the graves here follow an old tradition: rather than face Mecca, they face west.

Inside, the carpeting is placed at an angle so that modern folks can face Mecca when they pray.

The grounds feature a handful of mausoleums in which sultans and their wives have been laid to rest.

And while I can’t read any of the script on the headstones, I do know that the rounded ones are for women, and the pointed ones are for men.Read more