did You Know
In February 2012, the National Museum was broken into by a mob of religious extremists during political protests against then-president Mohamed Nasheed. Some of the museum’s most precious items, such as 30 ancient Buddhist coral stone carvings from the country’s pre-islamic period, were destroyed as they were deemed “idols”. A bust of Buddha, a six-faced coral statue, and assorted limestone and coral statues were destroyed as well. Security at the museum has been extremely tight since