India is known worldwide for its culture, traditions, history, and unity, therefore there is no scarcity of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the country but what’s more interesting than this is that it also has the World Heritage City now. The race for winning the prestigious title of the first heritage city of India included Delhi, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad as competitors but to everyone’s surprise, India’s main metropolitan cities have been defeated by Ahmedabad, the former capital of the westernmost Indian state of Gujarat.
India is known worldwide for its culture, traditions, history, and unity, therefore there is no scarcity of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the country but what’s more interesting than this is that it also has the World Heritage City now. The race for winning the prestigious title of the first heritage city of India included Delhi, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad as competitors but to everyone’s surprise, India’s main metropolitan cities have been defeated by Ahmedabad, the former capital of the westernmost Indian state of Gujarat.

1. Architecture

Brimming with historical monuments, Ahmedabad is a beautiful conglomerate of Hindu-Islamic heritage. The city bears testimony to the prowess of Hindu, Muslim and Jain craftsmen. The 15th-century Bhadra Fort is the most majestic tourist attraction of the city. Sidi Saiyyed Mosque is also quite remarkable owing to its Indo-Saracenic style architecture. Other heritage sites of the city include Teen Darwaza, Qutub Shahi Mosque and Jama Masjid. The city’s colonial architecture can also be admired during a Gujarat tour

2. Museums

Depicting the vast history and colorful culture of Gujarat, Ahmedabad shelters several museums. Ahmedabad is not known for its textile industry and historical monuments but also for its well-stocked ancient museums. If you are interested in knowing about the history and lifestyle of rulers, you must visit the museums. The Sheth BJ Vidyabhavan Museum has a collection of about 11,000 manuscripts in Sanskrit, Prakrit, Gujarati, Arabic, and Persian. The Museum of Folk Arts represents the culture of Kathi, Rabari, Ahir, Charan, Bharwad, Kanabi, Mer, Koli, Banasali, Rajput, Meman and Miyana communities. Other famous museums include Satyagraha Museum which used to be the residence of Mahatma Gandhi in earlier times and Calico Museum of Textiles.

3. City Layout

Ahmedabad has been host to many historical as well as traditional events, may it be in the form of freedom movement like Dandi March or trade relations that flourished during the 15th century and continue to work till date. Ahmedabad also represents an impressive fusion of old and new. In old Ahmedabad, one can come across hundreds of “Pols” while independent lifestyle is followed in the new Ahmedabad with broad roads and modern buildings. In recent times, many sustainable programmes have also been introduced for the betterment of the city. In all, the city presents an astounding example of human habitation.

4. Integrity

Over a period of six centuries, Ahmedabad has evolved a lot. Even after going through modern changes, the city has kept its traditional resilience in terms of geomorphology as well as topography intact. Owing to the emerging techniques of infrastructure, hydrology and natural characteristics have undergone a change. Its infrastructure has been altered to a great extent because of the growing needs of the increased city population. Its gardens and land use patterns have not been affected but much variation has been noticed in the perceptions and visual relationships of people and urbanity of the city have also been metamorphosed.

5. AUTHENTICITY