MEDHU ZIYAARAIY SHRINE

Opposite the Hukuru Mosque, at the entrance to the Mulee Aage, is the holiest building in the Maldives. Behind the blue door lies the tomb of Abu al Barakat Yusuk al Barbari. This Moroccan traveller converted the Maldivian people to Islam in 1153. He put an end to the terror caused by the sea demon Rannamaari who demanded the sacrifice of a virgin every month. Abu al Barakat proposed to the king to replace the young virgin and read the verses of the Koran for a whole night. The demon never returned and the king converted to Islam.