Out of the many Maldives places to visit, Muliaage stands out as one of the most important. Also known as Muleege, Muliaage is the president’s official residence from 2009. This is a beautiful colonial style bungalow located at the centre of the main island, Male. It is located close to the Munnaru or the Grand Minaret and the Islamic Centre. There is a separated enclave named the Medhu Ziyaarai that used to be a part of the old structure. It is actually a Central Tomb and now houses the tomb of Abul Barakat Yousef Al-Berberi, the Moroccan scholar. This scholar is respected for introducing Islam to the island nation during the late 12th century. If you are staying at the Adaaran Prestige Water Villas, you can easily book a trip to Male to explore Muliaage and the many other attractions in the main island.
The word Muliaage translates to ‘the new house of Muli’. Muli is the name of the Meemu Atoll capital as well as the proposed capital of the Medhu Province. The colonial building started construction in 1914 and was completely built in 1919. Muliaage was built by King Shamsuddeen III as he was preparing for the return of Prince Hassan Izzudin to the main island after the completion of his education in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Prince Izzudin only stayed at the bungalow for a short time. Later on, he was backstabbed by his uncle and the bungalow was abandoned. After the abolition of the monarchy in 1952, the Muliaage was instated as an official Presidential Palace by President Mohammed Amin Didi on the 1st of January, 1953. However, the mansion was considered inadequate at the time and Theemuge was built by President Maumoom Abdul Gayoom in 1998. Today, Muliaage is reoccupied and have hosted famous guests such as Rajiv Ghandi and Queen Elizabeth II.
Intrigued by history, art and food, Lavinia Woolf is a writer who is passionate about the extraordinary and writes of the exhilarating and enchanting. Google+
