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Maldive Islands
"Dear Doctor" Postcard Depicting Minaret of Juma Mosque in Male
As part of a promotional campaign for sodium pentathol, Abbott Laboratories sent post cards from exotic settings around the world to physicians around the world. This example, December 3, 1962 is franked with the 5 rappen laree WHO Malaria Eradication commemorative issued on April 7, 1962 (one value in a set of eight).
The minaret of Juma mosque was featured on the engraved definitive stamps issued for Maldive Islands in 1909, in a redrawn photogravure design in 1933 and in "Landmarks" issue of October 15, 1960.
Constructed between 1656 and 1658 on the site of an earlier mosque dating back to 1153, the Juma Mosque in Male is built primarily of coral and, originally, had a thatched roof. Construction of a munnaaru (minaret) and a gate at the southern end of the mosque was undertaken in 1668. Renovations were undertaken in 1903 (to replace the thatched roof with corrugated iron sheeting) and in 1963 with further conservation work done in 1987 and 1988. This mosque along with other Maldives coral mosques has been included in a UNESCO World Heritage list as representative of unique historic cultural traditions of the Maldivan sea culture.
Bibliography
Fortunato, Tom, "Details about Abbott Labs' and other advertising campaigns using postcards from
around the world." The 'Dear Doctor' Postcard Collector Page. 17 Nov. 2018. Web.
21 Nov. 2018.http://www.deardoctorpostcards.com/.
"Male Friday Mosque." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 1 May 2026. Web. 29 May 2026.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mal%C3%A9_Friday_Mosque
Direct comments, questions and corrections to:
stampquestions@hotmail.com
© Derrick Grose, 2026
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