Muleeaage, The Official Residence of the President (Malé City)

Today Muleeaage is the official palace of the President and is a must-see in any Male’ tour. Muleeaage marked its hundredth anniversary in 2019. The Palace that stand today was built during the period 1914 to 1919. The site was the ancestral home of former Sultans and royalty. However, Muleeaage never served as a Sultan’s Palace.

Muleeaage was built by Sultan Mohamed Shamsuddeen III for his son Prince Hassan Izzuddeen in preparation for his arrival in the Maldives after completing his education in Ceylon. The Prince occupied the Palace from 1920 to 1934. The Prince was arrested, and the building was in disuse until World War II. Since then except for brief periods the building was used for various government administrative purposes or as a residence for visiting heads of states and other dignitaries.

During the First Republic between 1952 and 1953, President Mohamed Ameen Didi made Muleeaage the official Presidential Palace. However, since the end of the First Republic Muleeaage once again, was used for various administrative purposes. The first President of the Second Republic, President Ibrahim Nasir once again declared Muleeaage the Presidential Palace in 1968. However, he resided there only for a brief period. Since then Presidents have made Muleeaage their official residence for varying periods of time. The current President, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has resided in Muleeaage since he took office in November 2018.