Government Advances Limestone Mosques’ World Heritage Nomination Despite Challenges

Minister of Dhivehi Language, Culture, and Heritage, Adam Naseer Ibrahim, has identified land constraints as a major barrier to securing World Heritage status for Maldives' limestone mosques. Speaking with PSM News, Minister Ibrahim emphasized the cultural and historical importance of these mosques and stressed the need for their preservation.

The Maldives is collaborating with the Islamic World of Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (ICESCO) to advance the nomination of these mosques. ICESCO is hopeful that the mosques will be included in UNESCO’s permanent World Heritage List.

A significant challenge, according to Minister Ibrahim, is meeting the land requirements set by UNESCO for heritage sites. Efforts are underway to negotiate these requirements to make the nomination process more feasible.

The government is also focusing on increasing awareness and training individuals in heritage preservation. This includes providing international training opportunities to build expertise in the field.

Since 2008, the Maldives has been working towards World Heritage recognition for its limestone mosques. The Old Friday Mosque (Hukuru Miskiy) was added to the temporary World Heritage List in 2008, and currently, seven limestone mosques are on this temporary list.