Aptly located in the middle of this huge western state of India, the district of Ahemedabad is surrounded by the districts of Anand, Bhavanagar, Gandhinagar, Surendranagar, Mehasana and Kheda district. A small tip of Ahemedabad extends in to the creek to join the Arabian Sea. Ahemedabad is seismically active zone.
Being centrally located in the state of Gujarat, Ahemedabad, experiences extreme climates. It is very hot during summers and quite cool in winters.
Quite often the prominence given to this city is mistaken for the city being the state capital. But it is not. Although it was the capital of the Gujarat state for a short span of time after the reunion of the Gujarat state in 1960, the actual capital, Gandhinagar, is just at stone's throw distance form Ahemedabad. Ahemedabad blends harmoniously an ancient heritage with a vibrant present. The city's prosperous and eventful past and present is embodied in its rich kaleidoscope of history, art and culture, rich architecture and imposing monuments.
A major industrial city of India, Ahemedabad ad is famous for its exquisite handicraft items and Bandhej Textiles. It is famous for its beautiful Indo-Saracenic architectural structures and more recently for the devastating earthquake. The educational institutions of Ahemedabad are like the Indian Institute of management, and the National Institute of Design are supposed to be one of the best in the country.
The city derives its name from the founder of the city Ahemed Shah, who built it as his capital in 1411 A.D. Although the Mughal Emperor Jehangir called it as the city of dust; Gardabad, it was known as one of the finest cities of India by the 17th century. Ahemedabad, rather the whole of Gujarat, has been the melting pot of various tribes, therefore the people of Gujarat and mainly Ahemedabad as it has been the capital for many years, have been a mixture of various creeds, tribes and castes. The e Aryans came and also came, the Persians, Arabs and the Africans. This mixture of cultures though has not deviated the Gujarati from their food habbits and language.
Ahemedabad truly is a visitor's delight. Right from historical monuments to the recent developments, from relic past to futuristic approach, one can find everything here. To top on that are the beautiful jewellery designs and lip smacking food that Ahemedabad offers.
