Coins close to 200 years discovered in Sultan Park

Coins over 181 years old have been discovered during the course of the dig at the Sultan Park currently under renovations.

Media Official of the Heritage Department, Hassan Mohamed told Sun Media today that the coins were discovered during the dig in the last week of Ramadan.

When the coins were discovered in a hole dug in the ground, Heritage Department was notified and inspectors filtered the sand to discover more of it.

Hassan said that the coins are from the East India Company and believed to be from 1835. He said that not all the coins have been checked yet and studies are being conducted on them.

An experienced historian said that back then, foreign currency was used in the Maldives and it is possible that money could have been stashed away for a number of reasons.

The Heritage Department said that coins are being studied in their care and a decision is yet to be made on displaying the new discovery at the National Museum.