View source for Historic City of Ahmadabad

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2018}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                   = Historic City of Ahmadabad
| native_name            = અમદાવાદ કોટવિસ્તાર
| native_name_lang       = gu
| settlement_type        = Urban settlement
| image_skyline          = 
| image_caption          = 
| image_flag             = 
| image_shield           = 
| image_map              = Ahmedabad 1855.jpg
| map_alt                = 
| map_caption            = Map of old Ahmedabad in 1855
| pushpin_map            = India Ahmedabad#India Gujarat#India
| pushpin_label_position = left
| pushpin_map_alt        = 
| pushpin_map_caption    = Location in Gujarat, India
| coordinates            = {{coord|23|1|32|N|72|35|15|E|region:IN|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes  = 
| subdivision_type       = Country
| subdivision_name       = India
| subdivision_type1      = State
| subdivision_name1      = Gujarat
| subdivision_type2      = District
| subdivision_name2      = [[Ahmedabad district]]
| subdivision_type3      = City
| subdivision_name3      = Ahmedabad
| established_title      = Established
| established_date       = 1411
| founder                = [[Ahmad Shah I]]
| seat_type              = 
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| unit_pref              = Metric
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| footnotes              = {{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
| child         = yes
| criteria      = {{UNESCO WHS type|(ii), (v)}}(ii), (v)
| ID            = 1551
| year          = 2017
| area          = {{convert|535.7|ha|sqmi|abbr=on}}
| buffer_zone   = {{convert|395|ha|sqmi|abbr=on}}
}}
}}
[[File:City Walls of Ahmedabad 1866.jpg|thumb|upright=1.29|City walls of Ahmedabad 1866]]
The '''Historic City of Ahmadabad''' or '''Old [[Ahmedabad]]''', the '''walled city of Ahmedabad''' in India, was founded by [[Ahmad Shah I]] of [[Gujarat Sultanate]] in 1411. It remained the capital of the Gujarat Sultanate and later important political and commercial centre of [[Gujarat]]. Today, despite having become extremely crowded and dilapidated, it still serves as the symbolic heart of metropolitan [[Ahmedabad]]. It was inscribed as the [[World Heritage City]] by UNESCO in July 2017.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/ahmedabad-takes-giant-leap-becomes-indias-first-world-heritage-city/articleshow/59507216.cms|title=Ahmedabad takes giant leap, becomes India's first World Heritage City|work=The Times of India|access-date=2017-07-15}}</ref>

==History==
{{main|History of Ahmedabad}}
The earliest settlements were situated in south of current old city and on the bank of [[Sabarmati river]]. It was known as '''Ashaval''' or '''Ashapalli'''. Asha Bhil Was king of Ashaval . In the eleventh century, [[Karna (Chaulukya dynasty)|Karna]] of [[Chaulukya dynasty]] ruling from [[Anhilwad Patan]] (1072-1094) made the town his capital and named it '''Karnavati''' (Karan's town) or '''Shrinagar''' (prosperous city) and '''Rajnagar''' (king's town).{{sfn | ''Google Books'' | 2015|page=249}}

[[Ahmed Shah I]] laid the foundation of [[Bhadra Fort]] starting from [[Manek Burj]], the first bastion of the city in 1411 which was completed in 1413. He also established the first square of the city, [[Manek Chowk (Ahmedabad)|Manek Chowk]], both associated with the legend of Hindu saint [[Maneknath]]. His [[Gujarat Sultanate]] (1411-1573) ruled from the city until 1484. His grandson [[Mahmud Begada]] transferred capital from Ahmedabad to [[Champaner|Muhammadabad]] from 1484 to 1535 but carried out second fortification of the city. Later Ahmedabad again became capital of sultanate until it fell to Mughals in 1573. During Mughal rule (1572-1707), Bhadra Fort served as the seat of Governor of Gujarat. The city flourished with addition of several settlements in and around the city. Of the population of the city no estimate has been traced. There is some estimate of the size of city in works of the time: ''Ferishta'', the ''Ain-i-Akbari'', and the ''Mirat-i-Ahmadi''. According to the ''Ain-i-Akbari'' (1580), there were 360 ''puras'', of which only eighty-four were then flourishing; according to ''Ferishta'' there were, in 1600, 360 mahalla, each surrounded by a wall ; the ''Mirat-i-Ahmadi'' in one passage says, such was once its populous state that it contained 380 puras, each pura a considerable quarter almost a city; in another passage he mentions twelve city wards and others outside, and in his detailed account of the city he mentions by name 110 suburbs of which 19 were settled under Mughal rule. German traveller [[Johan Albrecht de Mandelslo|Mandelslo]] (1638) mentioned the suburbs and dependent villages are nearly seven leagues round.{{sfn | ''Google Books'' | 2015|page=252-253}} During Mughal and Maratha struggle (1707–1753) to control the city, the city was harmed and several suburbs were depopulated. The city walls damaged in battles and the trade was affected. The city revenue was divided between Mughal and Maratha rulers.  Later during Maratha rule (1758–1817), the city revenue was divided between Peshwa and Gaekwad. These affected the economy of the city due to more extraction of taxes. In 1817, Ahmedabad fell under British Company rule which stabilized the city politically and improved the trade. The population rose from 80,000 in 1817 to about 88,000 in 1824. During the eight following years a special cess was levied on ''[[ghee]]'' and other products and at a cost of £25,000 (Rs. 2,50,000) the city walls were repaired. About the same time a [[Ahmedabad Cantonment|cantonment]] was established on a site to the north of the city. The population rose (1816) to about 95,000. The remaining public funds  after the walls were finished were used for municipal purposes.{{sfn | ''Google Books'' | 2015|pages=260–261}} The old city continued to be the centre of political activities during the [[Indian independence movement]] under [[Mahatma Gandhi]].

==Forts and Gates==
{{main|Bhadra Fort|Gates of Ahmedabad}}

===Forts===
Square in form, enclosing an area of about forty-three acres, the Bhadra fort had [[Gates of Ahmedabad|eight gates]], three large, two in the east and one in the south-west corner; three middle-sized, two in the north and one in the south; and two small, in the west. The construction of [[Jama Masjid, Ahmedabad]] completed in 1423. As the city expanded, the city wall was expanded. So the second fortification was carried out by [[Mahmud Begada]] in 1486, the grandson of Ahmed Shah, with an outer wall 10&nbsp;km (6.2&nbsp;mi) in circumference and consisting of [[Gates of Ahmedabad|12 gates]], 189 bastions and over 6,000 battlements as described in ''Mirat-i-Ahmadi''.<ref name="gkm">{{cite book | title=India through the ages: history, art, culture, and religion | publisher=Sundeep Prakashan | author=G. Kuppuram | year=1988 | pages=739 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AvggAAAAMAAJ&dq=ahmedabad+189+bastions+and+over+6%2C000+battlements.&q=ahmedabad+189+bastions+over+6%2C000+battlements.#search_anchor | volume=2 }}</ref> The city walls of second fortification, running on the west for about a mile and three quarters along the bank of the Sabarmati, and stretching east in semi-circular form, include an area of two square miles in past.{{sfn | ''Google Books'' | 2015|page=248}}

===Gates===
Most people believe that [[Ahmedabad]] had 12 gates but some historian suggested to have 16. Later some Indologist found that Ahmedabad had 21 gates. Bhadra fort had eight gates, three large, two in the east and one in the south-west corner; three middle-sized, two in the north and one in the south; and two small, in the west.<ref name="amg">{{cite news | url=http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/2/2010020820100208031017336daeff19/CITY%E2%80%99S-LOST-GATES.html?pageno=1 | title=City's Lost Gates | work=[[Ahmedabad Mirror]] | date=8 February 2010 | agency=AM | access-date=12 February 2013 | author=Rajput, Vipul | author2=Patel, Dilip | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130410041915/http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/2/2010020820100208031017336daeff19/CITY%E2%80%99S-LOST-GATES.html?pageno=1 | archive-date=10 April 2013 }}</ref> In the city walls of second fort, there were eighteen gates, fifteen large and three small. Of the fifteen, one was closed, and two were added later. These gates were, beginning from the north-west corner, three in the north-wall, the Shahpur in the north-west, the Delhi in the north, and the Dariyapur in the north-east; four in the east wall, the Premabhai, a gate built by British, in the north-east, the [[Kalupur]] in the east, the Panchkuva, a gate built by British, in the east, and the Sarangpur in the south-east; four in the south wall, the Raipur and Astodiya in the south-east, and the Mahuda, the closed gate, and the Jamalpur in the south; seven in the west wall, the Khan Jahan, Raikhad and Manek in the south-west; the three citadel gates, Ganesh, Ram, and Baradari in the centre; and the Khanpur gate in the north-west.<ref name="dna 2011">{{cite news| title=Ahmedabad gates: Residue of past or the pride of the present? | publisher=DNA | date=23 January 2011| first=Yatin|last=Pandya|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-ahmedabad-gates-residue-of-past-or-the-pride-of-the-present-1498198 | access-date=11 January 2015}}</ref><ref name=GBA>{{cite book|title=Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Ahmedabad|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EL4IAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA275|year=1879|publisher=Government Central Press|pages=273–277}}</ref> Two new gates, Prem Darwaja and Panchkuva Gate added by British after opening of railways in 1864.{{sfn | ''Google Books'' | 2015|page=262}}

==Neighbourhood==
{{main|Pol (housing)|List of pols in Ahmedabad}}
A ''Pol'' is a typical housing cluster of the old city. There are as many as 356 pols described in historical works. The form of housing cluster was established during the divided Mughal-Maratha rule (1738-1753) due to religious tension between Hindu and Muslims. Afterwards (1780-1832), when the city walls ceased to shelter from robbers, the pol gate and watch became necessary protection.{{sfn | ''Google Books'' | 2015|page=294-295}} [[Chabutro]] is a unique pole like structure for feeding birds which can be found in several Pols.

==Heritage walk==
[[Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation]] in association with CRUTA Foundation, organizes a walk across old city starting from [[Kalupur Swaminarayan Mandir]] and ending at [[Jama Masjid, Ahmedabad|Jama Masjid]] every morning. The walk covers several social, religious and architectural places associated with history and culture of [[Ahmedabad]].{{fact|date=April 2018}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

===Bibliography===
{{commons category}}
* {{cite book | title=Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Ahmedabad | website=Google Books 2015 | date=7 January 2015 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EL4IAAAAQAAJ | ref={{sfnref | Google Books | 2015}} | access-date=1 February 2015|pages=248–262}} {{PD-notice}}

{{Ahmedabad topics}}
{{World Heritage Sites in India}}

[[Category:Tourist attractions in Ahmedabad]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Ahmedabad]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in India]]