Ahmedabad’s old city where every faith has a home

In the old city’s dense lanes, domes, minarets, shikharas, fire temples, synagogues and church towers rise together, telling a story of a place where diversity has never been a slogan, but a way of life woven into daily rhythms

- INDO-ASIAN NEWS SERVICE

As World Heritage Week begins November 19, Ahmedabad, the first Indian city to be inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage City, stands as a living museum of coexistence. A few urban centres in the world hold centuries of Hindu, Muslim, Jain, Christian, Parsi and even Jewish heritage within a walkable radius.

In the old city’s dense lanes, domes, minarets, shikharas, fire temples, synagogues and church towers rise together, telling a story of a place where diversity has never been a slogan, but a way of life woven into daily rhythms.

Founded in 1411 by Sultan Ahmed Shah, the old city was envisioned as a fortified capital along the Sabarmati River, but it quickly evolved into something more remarkable, a shared space where communities lived in pols, interdependent neighbourhoods that balanced cultural distinctiveness with social harmony.