The Beginning

The construction of Muliaage was initiated in the year 1914 and completed in 1919. It was commissioned by Sultan Muhammad Shamsuddeen III for his son and heir Prince Hassan Izzuddin. It was built on the style of bungalows, in vogue during the colonial era in Ceylon and completed in preparation for the return of Prince Hassan Izzuddin to Male' in 1920 after completing his education at the Royal College of Colombo.

Muliaage, meaning the "new house of Muli", was built on the site of Mulee'ge, the ancestral home of Shamsuddeen. Muliaage was also the home of the Sultan Hasan 'Izz ud-din (or "Dhon Bandaarain" 1759–66). It was the private residence of Dhon Bandaarain's mother, Amina Dhiyo daughter of Mohamed, the Katheeb of Muli. It remained with the Huraa Dynasty rulers throughout its history. The last occupant of Muliaage was Prince Mulee'ge Manippulhu, who later ascended the throne as Sultan Muhammad Shamsuddeen III in 1892.

Neither Muliaage nor Mulee'ge ever served as a Royal Palace. However, it is located just a stone's throw away from the site of the former royal palace, now the Sultan's Park and the National Museum of Maldives. Most of the buildings in the royal palace grounds were demolished during Ibrahim Nasir's presidency in the late 1960s. As such, today the nearest one could get to a royal Maldivian palace is Muliaage in Male’ and the Utheemu Ganduvaru on the island of Utheemu.

Muliaage was occupied by Prince Hassan Izzuddin between 1920 and 1934. The house did not prove auspicious for the prince, though apparently he spent a lot of time there. It was famous throughout Male' as a place for merriment and gaiety with numerous music and dance performances organized by the young prince for his entertainment. Izzuddin however soon became the victim of a smear campaign organized by his uncle Al Ameer Abdul Majeed Rannabandeyri Kilegefaanu and cousin Hassan Fareed. Ultimately he was discredited and banished in 1934 to the isolated southerly island of Fuvahmulah where he died in 1938.

Rise and Fall of the First Republic

Following Prince Izzudin's arrest, Muliaage remained abandoned and in disuse until the second World War, when it was used as the Ministry of Home Affairs by Mohamed Amin Didi. Following the abolition of the Maldivian Monarchy in 1952, the new President Mohamed Amin Didi officially made Muliaage the Presidential Palace on January 1, 1953. Following Amin's ouster later that year it became the Prime Minister's Office under Ibrahim Faamuladheyri Kilegefaanu after the restoration of the monarchy under Sultan Muhammad Fareed Didi.

Between 1960 and 1964 Muliaage served as the residence and office of the British Government Political Agent, Humphrey Arthington-Davy. He was the first British official posted to Male. Following demonstrations and acts of sabotage directed against Arthington-Davy, he later lived mainly at his retreat in Dhoonidhoo Island across the lagoon from Male.

During the Second Republic

After a long period of disuse, the first president of the second republic, Ibrahim Nasir Rannabandeyri Kilegefan once again declared Muliaage as the Presidential Palace in 1968. Although it was the official residence of the president, Nasir only took temporary residence at Muliaage while his own house, Velaanaa'ge, was under construction. Initially, President Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom resided at Muliaage for the first two decades of his presidency. However, deeming Muliaage insufficient, Maumoom commissioned Theemuge to be built and declared it the official Presidential Palace in 1998. Muliaage was under much neglect and it served as the President's Office and later the Supreme Court during the latter years of Maumoon's presidency.

In 2008, after defeating Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom in the Maldives' first democratic multi-party elections, Mohamed Nasheed became the third president of the second republic. Nasheed was a strong critic of Maumoon's government and its alleged overspending. On these grounds, president Nasheed refused to use Theemuge because of the high costs of maintaining it as a house of residence and stayed at his own house Yaagoothu'ge for the first few months of his presidency. However, on February 4, 2009, Nasheed moved to Muliaage, once again declaring it the official residence of the Maldivian president. In 2011, Nasheed installed a solar photovoltaic energy system on the roof of Muliaage with the aim of promoting sustainable energy and sending a global message on climate leadership.^[1][2] After the resignation of Nasheed in February 2012, the palace became vacant.

Famous guests who stayed at Muliaage include Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi of India under President Maumoon. Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh were entertained at an evening reception in 1972 by President Nasir during the couple's 2-day state visit to Male on board the Royal Yacht Britannia.