National
museum in Maldives is one of the main tourist attraction
destinations of the country. Located in the Sultan Park, which was a
part of the Sultan's palace, it is basically a conversion of the old
palace building. The museum has a valuable collection of objects of
the past that depict the history and rich cultural heritage of the
country. The Maldives national museum was opened for public display on the National Day, 1 Rabeeul Awwal 1372 A.H., (19th November 1952). It was inaugurated by the then Prime Minister, Ameer Mohamed Amin Didi. The purpose of setting up the museum was to preserve the history of Maldives and to invoke the patriotic feelings of people.
The museum houses a number of fabulous objects belonging to the Sultans. It consists of the ornaments and costumes worn by various kings and queens, stone items of the Maldives' pre-Islamic period, paper and cloth manuscripts, arms and armor, photographs of important personalities, anthropological objects and other such items that exhibit the past Maldivian way of life.