The Minister of Arts, Culture and Heritage, Heena Waleed, has announced that the research and documentation of historical heritage sites across 18 atolls have been completed.
The minister made the remarks while responding to a question from a member of the Parliament.
Minister Heena said more than 400 heritage sites across the Maldives have so far been listed. She added that a special initiative, the Maritime Survey, is being carried out jointly by the National Centre for Cultural Heritage and Kyoto University of Japan to manage the sites and collect further information.
She said the survey and documentation of heritage sites have now been completed in 18 atolls, while work is continuing in Alif Alif and Alif Dhaalu atolls.
The minister said documentation work in the two atolls is expected to be completed during July, after which the project will move to Malé. She said that once work in Malé is completed, the documentation and cataloguing of heritage sites across the Maldives will be finalised.
"Once these projects are finished, this information will be available in an online database for students and researchers. Access to search and view this data will be free of charge. Furthermore, this data will serve as crucial information for making policy-level decisions and for the further development of this sector. This work is currently underway and will be completed very soon," Minister Heena said.
Speaking about the Lily House development project in Kelaa, Haa Alifu Atoll, the minister said a team from the ministry visited the island last month to carry out assessments. She said physical work on the project is expected to begin as soon as possible, with the aim of completing it within this year.
Furthermore, Minister Heena provided an update on efforts to secure UNESCO World Heritage status for the Maldives' coral stone mosques. As such, she said the nomination file submitted to UNESCO in January had been accepted and is currently under evaluation.
A UNESCO evaluation team is scheduled to visit the Maldives in September to assess the nominated sites, according to the minister.
She said securing World Heritage status would represent a major milestone not only for preserving the Maldives' cultural heritage but also for strengthening the country's tourism sector.