S H U TTI N G T H E IR E Y E S O N H I S TOR Y: P R E - I S LA M I C H E RITA G E AT T H E N ATIO N AL M U S E U M O F T H E M ALDI V E S - TAASA Review June 2012

S H U TTI N G T H E IR E Y E S O N H I S TOR Y: P R E – I S LA M I C H E RITA G E AT T H E N ATIO N AL M U S E U M O F T H E M ALDI V E S – TAASA Review June 2012

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This article was originally found in the June 2012 edition of TAASA Review (Volume 21, Issue 2, Page 15).

The full article is available for free to TAASA Members.

Ann Proctor O n 9 February this year, a group of disaffected youths broke into the National Museum of the Maldives, damaging some pre-Islamic works from the collection beyond hope of repair.

Such intolerant attacks on religious images litter human history and this recent destruction of ancient images was particularly sad and pointless. The National Museum of the Maldives is located on the tiny island capital of Malé.

The imposing building was constructed with Chinese aid money and opened in July 2010, replacing an earlier, smaller building that was established by the first president of the Maldives, Mohamed Ameen, in 1952...