Nilandhe Atoll

Nilandhe is a Maldivian atoll of low coral islands and lagoons west of the central island chain. On Nilandhoo stands an old Friday mosque, traditionally associated with the first Muslim sultan of the Maldives. It is thought to occupy the site of an earlier Buddhist monastery, reflecting the religious changes that transformed the islands in the twelfth century. The mosque’s coral-stone construction belongs to a distinctive Maldivian building tradition, adapted to the materials of the atolls.