Meedhoo, Addu City – Ministry of Arts, Culture and Heritage has announced that a heritage complex will be established in Meedhoo, somewhere in close proximity to Koagannu cemetery.
Communications Director of the Ministry Ismail Naail Nasheed, in an interview to PSM, stated that the planning and concept design phase of the project has even been completed.
He added that with this complex, the popularity of the cemetery would increase by multiple fold and that it would also add to the protection and maintenance of Koagannu, which is the oldest cemetery in the country.
The planning and concept design work of the first phase of establishing a heritage complex has now been completed. We are now working on securing funds for the execution stage to be initiated. Under this project we plan to open up a museum, display hall, bird sanctuary, library and an auditorium among other facilities.
Ismail Naail Nasheed, Communications Director, Ministry of Arts, Culture and Heritage, 2022
The waterfront cemetery with a distinct coral-stone architecture is said to be the first cemetery allocated for Muslims in the country during the transition period from Buddhism to Islam and is believed to be at least 900 years old with over 1,500 tombstones including several religiously significant persons of the country.
The cemetery has also been named in the 2022 watch list by World Monument Fund, and its mosque has also been proposed to be included in the UNESCO world heritage site.
