Immediately after visiting the dusty cities that make up the Golden Triangle (Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur), arriving in Ahmedabad seemed to be a breath of fresh air, literally and figuratively. Yes, the classic mayhem and modern urban problems typical of Indian cities are all present in Ahmedabad. However, its RELATIVELY cleaner air, a well-maintained airport, gentrified riverfront, and less touristy feel made the city a rather nice place to travel to. Such observation is quite contrary to previous reviews, but a lot has happened since—according to a hotel staff I talked to, there has been a rapid development in Ahmedabad in the past several years, and he felt this beginning in 2022. The gentrification was of course limited to certain parts of the city, but somehow it worked. As mentioned by Solivagant, it’s notable that the current prime minister of India hails from the state of Gujarat.

Date of visit: after Christmas, Dec 2023.

We stayed for 3 nights in the excellent House of MG. The hotel is itself a beautiful, storied heritage building that was first built in 1904 and was once the home of the textile magnate Sheth Mangaldas Girdhardas. It was later converted into a hotel in 2014 and now enjoys a high reputation among locals, tourists, and travel websites. Objectively, the hotel deserves a visit for its history and architecture. Its location is also a plus—the hotel is built in Lal Darwaja, an area where the first settlements in the city were established. We took advantage of the hotel’s city rickshaw tour to get acquainted with the city. They also provide an updated tour map (click on the brochure) of the main sites of the city. 

The basis of the city’s inscription to the UNESCO World Heritage convention revolves around its architectural heritage originating from the Sultanate of Gujarat period, spanning the 15th and 16th centuries. Proponents of this site pointed out that such architectural heritage demonstrates the multicultural character of Ahmedabad, which they deem as indicative of outstanding universal value. The architectural heritage includes religious buildings, gates and city walls, havelis, and settlement architecture. I made sure to visit the following monuments and structures under each of these categories to appreciate the site's OUV.

1. Religious buildings 

• Hutheesing temple (Jainism) - if you only get to visit one Jain temple, this should be it. We have visited a few Jain temple prior to arriving in Ahmedabad, and this one tops our list. Note the Manastambha in the outer courtyard.
• Shree Swaminarayan temple complex (Hinduism) - Solivagant has given a good bit of information about this temple. The temple gate is gorgeous and the haveli with its intricate carved wood structures is admirable.
• Siddi Sayid and Ahmad Shah's mosques (Islam) - Siddi Sayid is located just across the hotel, and it is nicely lit up at night. It makes you wonder how devotees get to concentrate in praying as the mosque is surrounded by overwhelming traffic. Note the elaborate carved lattice screens (jali) in both mosques, as the artistry behind these works of art is just exceptional. I did not get to visit the Jama Masjid and Rani Sipri Ki Masjid, but they should also be part of your itinerary, especially to check out the minarets, domes, and buttresses. 

I find it interesting that the site's description boasts of the presence of Christian and Jewish places of worship, but it failed to mention any notable churches or synagogues. If you're interested in visiting a church or a synagogue, Mount Carmel cathedral and Magen Abraham synagogue would be your best bet. 

2. Gates and city walls - the site's description starts with the phrase "the walled-city of Ahmedabad..." You'd expect that the walls are visible and remarkable, but they are fragmented and seemingly poorly maintained. Many are in a dire state of repair, while others are intertwined with concrete and other modern construction materials. This can also be said with the gates, though for some reason the dusty, crumbling look of the gates gives off an authentic vibe. 

• Lal Darwaja - pretty much now an integral part of a street market. 
• Teen Darwaja (pictured) - it remains an imposing structure despite the overwhelming street market and traffic that penetrate the gate.

The more robust eastern gate of the Bhadra Fort and Delhi Darwaja are worth visiting as well (I did not get to visit them, unfortunately).

3. Settlement architecture - according to the nomination dossier, a unique aspect of the historic city is its settlement architecture, which include the pur (neighbourhoods), pol (residential streets; the name of a pol is signposted, typically spelled as 'pole'), and havelis (mansions or residential buildings with distinctive architecture and exquisite carvings). It is HARD to appreciate this however, as modern structures dominate some of the pols. However, once you get to visit various pols, you'd get to understand how the city's unique settlement architecture reflects its social fabric and community organisation. I got to visit the following neighbouring pols:

• Gangadhiya ni Pol - the beautiful Mangaldas ni Haveli II fronts the gate to the pol. To the right are some havelis of various state of deterioration, though their individual old charm persists.
• Rughnath Bamb ni Pol - the fading pastel colours of residential buildings in this pol are pretty to look at, though you can only wish that they could all undergo major renovation works.
• Sheth ni Pol 
• Lakha Patel ni Pol - my favourite of all the pols I have visited, only because of the chabutro and Mangaldas ni Haveli I. A tv show (?) was filming there at the time of visit.

If we are going to talk about havelis, I dare say that the best examples in the region are not within Ahmedabad, but are found in the dusty town of Siddhpur. It is located north of Ahmedabad, near Patan. Yes, the wooden havelis in this town are likewise not well-maintained, but rows upon rows of colourful havelis with Mughal and European motifs are worth a visit. The variety of pastel colours--from lilac and pink to lemon and beige--is just amazing! Siddhpur can be part of a day trip to Modhera Sun temple and Rani-ki-vav.

In addition to the above, we have also visited the following sites:

• Ahmed Shah's tomb - this is located next to the Jama Masjid. This is a building that seems to receive poor level of maintenance but you can also be guaranteed of its upkeep as the friendly residents living around the tomb seem to take care of it. The information panel is quite hard to notice as it is obstructed by parked autos and motorbikes. The lattice work on the walls of the building is notable. 
• Rani no Hajiro - the building that houses the tombs of Ahmed Shah's queens. Located on the other side of the street from Ahmed Shah's tomb, this building seems to have no buffer area that separates it from the surrounding market and residential area. The cloisters are in bad shape and occupied by vendors and motorbikes. 
• Bai Harir ni Vav - while this is outside the boundaries of the nominated site, it is worth a visit.