Seven historical coral stone mosques in the Maldives stand a strong chance of being inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List by late 2027, according to Minister of Youth Empowerment, Information and Arts Heena Waleed.
Speaking on the ninth episode of the “Ahaa” public forum Minister Heena stated that national efforts to secure UNESCO World Heritage status for the country’s historic mosques have been underway for 13 years.
The minister revealed that submissions to list several coral stone mosques were submitted in January this year, with UNESCO formally accepting the nomination dossier in September 2026.
As part of the evaluation process, a UNESCO assessment team recently visited the Maldives to inspect the sites, hold consultations with local island communities, and work alongside relevant state authorities. Minister Heena confirmed that the evaluation phase has now been completed.
“Our hope is that, God willing, these sites will be officially inscribed on the list by late 2027,” Minister Heena said. “This achievement will yield substantial benefits for the host islands and the broader Maldivian economy. It will elevate international recognition of Maldivian heritage and boost cultural tourism to these sites.”
A member of the public also asked the Minister regarding the progress and status of establishing the Digital National Archive, which will centralise and store all documents across all government institutions within a single system.
The Minister detailed that the Digital National Archive initiative is structured across four phases:
- Phase 1: The national survey has been completed, and the report by the external consultant has been compiled.
- Phase 2 & Phase 3: Prototype testing, the identification and selection of archival software, and the training of archive personnel during the third phase have all been completed.
- Phase 4: The final stage involves uploading documents from designated government offices into the software and officially launching the platform.
The Minister confirmed that only the fourth and final phase remains to be executed.
