Founded by Mughal Emperor Ahmed Shah more than 600 years ago, the walled city of Ahmedabad is the country’s proud as it declared India’s First World Heritage City by UNESCO. It is done to recognized and respect the heritage values preserved uniquely. Gujaratis and especially Amdavadis are rejoicing that tag of World Heritage City Ahmedabad and joining the special group of cities in the world including Rome, Edinburg, Paris, Cairo, Vienna, Brussels, Sintra, Cusco, Bhaktpur, Galle, Rhodes and more. The 610 years old Walled City of Ahmedabad is the first Indian city to join the club of elite.
The World Heritage Committee – WHC of United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization – UNESCO has declared Ahmedabad’s Walled City region of around 5.5 kilometers area as India’s First UNESCO World Heritage City in July 2017. This area is a livelihood of around 4 lakh of the population with their beautifully crafted wooden residences of more than 600 pols. There is a certain benefit to the city of Ahmedabad apart from attracting the international and national tourist to explore the city sites, Ahmedabad city now will have special access to funds which granted for the conservation of the heritage sites.
The city of Ahmedabad is filled with tons of architectural heritage that speaks for its local identity and affluent past. There is a list of Indo-Islamic monuments in Ahmedabad which were built between the 15th to 17th centuries. Especially the Pols of Ahmedabad which makes the city’s most prominent destinations for all the international travelers, typically the one who loves the heritage sites more. These Pols are the traditional residential clusters weaved amongst the different casts of the locals typically from the medieval period.
List of Heritage sites of Ahmedabad are mentioned below
- Bhadrakali Temple – Central Ahmedabad
- Bhadra Tower – Central Ahmedabad
- Swaminarayan Mandir, Kalupur – Central Ahmedabad
- Hathisingh Jain Temple – Central Ahmedabad
- Sidi Saiyad’s Masjid – Central Ahmedabad
- Ahmed Shah’s Mosque – Central Ahmedabad
- Teen Darwaja – Central Ahmedabad
- Shah Khupai’s Masjid – Central Ahmedabad
- Jami Masjid – Central Ahmedabad
- Tombs of Queens of Ahmed Shah – Central Ahmedabad
- Ahmad Shah’s Tomb – Central Ahmedabad
- Panch Kuwa Gate – Central Ahmedabad
- Queen’s Mosque in Sarangpur – Central Ahmedabad
- Tomb near Queen’s Mosque in Sarangpur – Central Ahmedabad
- Jhulta Minars at Railway Station – Central Ahmedabad
- Sidi Bashir’s Minar & Tomb – Central Ahmedabad
- Delhi Gate – Central Ahmedabad
- Kutub Shah’s Mosque – Central Ahmedabad
- Dastur Khan’s Masjid – Central Ahmedabad
- Rani Sipri’s Mosque & Tomb – Central Ahmedabad
- Astodia Gate – Central Ahmedabad
- Kalulpur Gate – Central Ahmedabad
- Sarangpur Gate – Central Ahmedabad
- Dariya-pur Gate – Central Ahmedabad
- Premabhai Gate – Central Ahmedabad
- Achyut Bibi’s Masjid & Tomb – Central Ahmedabad
- Dariya Khan’s Tomb – Central Ahmedabad
- Muhafiz Khan’s Mosque – Central Ahmedabad
- Rani Rupavati’s Mosque – Central Ahmedabad
- Shahpur or Kazi Mohmad Chisti’s Masjid – Central Ahmedabad
- Raipur Gate – Central Ahmedabad
- Haibatkhan’s Masjid – Central Ahmedabad
- Nawab Sardar Khan Masjid and Outer Gate – Central Ahmedabad
- Nawab Sardar Khan’s Rouza with its compound – Central Ahmedabad
- Bibiji’s Masjid at Raipur – East Ahmedabad
- Saiyyad Usman’s Mosque & Tomb – West Ahmedabad
- Small stone Mosque (Rani Masjid) – West Ahmedabad
- Rauza of Azam Khan Mauzzam Khan – West Ahmedabad
- Mata Bhawani’s – Well North Ahmedabad
- Dada Harir’s Mosque & Tomb – North Ahmedabad
- Dada (Bai ) Harir’s Well – North Ahmedabad
- Malik Alam’s Mosque – South Ahmedabad
- Shah Alam’s Tomb With All Surrounding Buildings – South Ahmedabad
- Inlet to Kankaria Tank – South Ahmedabad
- Baba Lului’s Masjid – South Ahmedabad
- Tomb of Mir Abu Turab – South Ahmedabad
- Jethabhai’s Stepwell – South Isanpur
- Small Stone Masjid (Gumle Masjid) – South Isanpur
- Tombs (Qutub-i-Alam) – South Vatva
- Sarkhej Roza – Great Mosque New West Ahmedabad
- Great Tank, Palace & Harem – New West Makarba (Sarkhej Roza)
- Pavilion Before the Tomb of Sheikh Ahmed (Khata Ganj Baksh) – New West Makarba (Sarkhej Roza)
- Rauza’s of Baba Alisar and Bawa Ganj Bhaks – New West Makarba (Sarkhej Roza)
- Tomb of Bibi (Rani ) Rajbai – New West Makarba (Sarkhej Roza)
- Tomb of Mohammed Begarh – New West Makarba (Sarkhej Roza)
- Tomb of Shaikh Ahmed Khata Ganj Baksh
The city of Ahmedabad has many names in the past. A few of them are Ashawal from Asha Bhil, Karandev’s Karnavati, Sultan Ahmed Shah’s Ahmedabad, Rajnagar – the capital of Jainism and more. It was also a place of national freedom movement through Gandhi Ji’s Sabarmati Ashram. Once a time even a Manchester of the East through its huge and variety of textile production. This India’s First Unesco World Heritage City is also a historic place for a pilgrimage through its hundreds of Hindu Temples, Mosques and Jain Temples ages from the 17th centuries.
The nomination of Ahmedabad as UNESCO World Heritage City was supported by more than 20 countries thanks to its peaceful coexistence of Hindu, Islamic and Jain population in the walled city. The architectural heritage and wooden carvings of Havelis in the Pols city is one the most to see and capture past of Ahmedabad Heritage Walk. This Ahmedabad Heritage Walk is a good way to get a glimpse of old and walled cities, The Pols which are virtually small neighborhoods within the city. It is a habitat of many people which passes through tiny streets of the Pols and generally ends in a square consisting of multiple houses on each side. Also, a well and Chabutaras are the typical identities of every pol.
Certain heritage locations in Ahmedabad will surely give you a feeling of the existence of the city within the city, and this is especially of this India’s First UNESCO World Heritage City, Ahmedabad. Come and experience it once.
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