Male travel guide

Male, Maldives—Overview

Male is the capital city of Maldives and situated on the southern edge of Atoll Kaafu in north Male. In ancient times, male was the kingdom of royal dynasties; this city was also referred to as Mahal. It was surrounded by gates and fortifications and people used to call it a walled city. But later on, the royal palace of this city was abolished properly along with the scenic forts as well as bastions. Under the presidency of Ibrahim Nasir, Male was remodeled and since then development here is on the steep rise.

Notwithstanding the fact that Male is located on the boundary of Kaafu Atoll, male is not considered a part of this district. This city has its own commercial harbor and all the business related activities take place in this commercial harbor only. Also, numerous government agencies and buildings are located on its waterfront. And even an international airport is located in the proximity of Hulhule Island which also provides a strong base for seaplanes.

Male Island has witnessed massive urbanization and attracts thousands of foreigners every year. And this town is subdivided into 4 main parts namely Maafannu, Galolhu, Henveiru and Macchangolhi. All these places were part of Mahal and now they are governed by the common government.

Language

The language spoken by the male people is Dhivehi and has its roots in Sanskrit language. This language is heavily influenced by Arabic languages and these days English is spoken at a large scale. Although the US English is spoken, the accent used is regional.

The script used in this city is of Maldives and is known as Thaana. This script is written from right to left unlike the earlier times when script was written left to right. The Thaana script was devised using Arabic words and now those words are often used in the Dhivehi language. This language has 24 alphabets and is one of the most popular regional languages of Maldives.

Food

Maldivian cuisines are highly preferred in Male and people from all over the world travel to this place to enjoy them. In cuisines, fish is the most important ingredient and is used in virtually all the courses prepared. But these days, Indian, Sri Lankan and Arabic has also taken roots in the eating habits of the people.