Ahmedabad is situated in north-central Gujarat and covers an area of four hundred and sixty-four square kilometers of mostly flat ground. It is currently the largest city of the state of Gujarat and the seventh largest and fifth most populated city in India. It has a population of approximately seven million people comprising a majority of Hindus followed by Muslims and Jains. Sabarmati is one of the major rivers of the state and it slices the city into two distinct regions with the old city to the east and the relatively recent expansion to the west.
The earliest historical record of the region of Ahmedabad can be traced back to the 12th century as a prosperous trade and manufacturing settlement on the banks of Sabarmati. It was known as Karnavati under the rule of the Chaulukyas and Ashapalli under the brief rule of the Vaghelas and the Delhi Sultanate. During the reign of the Gujarat Sultanate that followed, it was named Ahmedabad by Ahmad Shah I who established it as his capital in 1412.
Western India carried out trade on a large scale due to the entry points and maritime docks on its west coast where the import and export of goods took place. The transport of goods to the hinterlands lead to the development of many trade routes and channels. Ahmedabad was situated on a strategic trade route and soon became an economic powerhouse in the region. As a result of this, it fostered a large community of affluent merchants and traders throughout history.
For many centuries after its formation, the city organized itself within the fortified walls around the citadel of Bhadra built in the early 15th century. The walled-city is densely populated, compact, characterized by gated residential clusters called pols, mansion with intricate woodwork known as havelis and religious structures of the Hindu, Muslims and Jain communities with a numerous bustling chowks (squares) and dense bazaars (open markets). The city on the eastern embankment gradually expanded haphazardly outside the walled area, arbitrarily extending from the Shahibaug palace to the industrial belt that mushroomed during the late 19th century.
The construction of the Ellis bridge in 1875 during the British rule paved the way for expansion and growth on the western embankment. The western parts of the city, as of today, harbor the new business districts, planned residential areas, major educational institutions and a large swath of Ahmedabad’s modernist legacy which includes the works of Kahn, Doshi and Corbusier.
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- Stepwells Of Ahmedabad - exhibition at Yale Architecture. Ahmedabad: Anthill Design, 2018.