Chinese Government provides MVR 61.6 million grant for construction of National Museum in Sultan Park, Malé

Project narrative

In 2007, the Chinese Government provided grant funding for the construction of a national museum in Sultan Park in the capital city of Malé. Based on Maldives Government Budget reports that detail grant disbursements from China for this national museum construction project, Chinese Government grant funding totaled MVR 61.6 million. The annual disbursement Amounts are as follows: 21.3 million MVRin 2008, 40.3 million MVR in 2009. According to Albatross International Pvt. Ltd., the project cost was USD 7.8 million, but it is unclear whether or not the Chinese Government grant covered the entire cost. According to Chinese Embassy to Sri Lanka, Shandong Expressway Qilu Construction Group Co., Ltd. constructed the project.　 The ground-breaking ceremony was held on November 12, 2007. The museum was handed over to the Maldives on July 10, 2010, and opened on Independence Day, July 26, 2010. It consisted of two large buildings in the old palace grounds. The museum was to serve as a platform for the preservation, display, and education of the culture heritage of the Maldives. The interior of the museum retains elements from the days of the Sultanate, including the handwritten Quran engraved on the walls. The museum is located in Sultan Park in Malé. Detailed locational coordinates can be found at https://www.google.com/maps/place/National+Museum/@4.1771979,73.5079528,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x3b3f7e55254c38c3:0x6cac26b752f8e856!8m2!3d4.1771979!4d73.5101415.