Ahmedabad History, India

The history of Ahmedabad begins with the dawn of the eleventh century. The Solanki King Karandev I who was a ruler of Anhilwara waged a war against the Bhil King Ashapall. Capturing his territory, he established a city named Karnavati on the banks Sabarmati River. Solanki rule existed till the thirteenth century, and it ended when Gujarat was conquered by the rulers of Vaghela dynasty of Dwarka. The Sultanate of Delhi later occupied Karnavati and took control over it.

In 1411, the Muzaffarid dynasty ruled Gujarat and Sultan Ahmed Shah renamed Karnavati as Ahmedabad. In 1411, the Muzaffarid dynasty ruled over Gujarat. Once Sultan Ahmed Shah, while camping on the banks of the River Sabarmati, was impressed by the beauty of the place and he decided to locate the capital here. He renamed Karnavati and called it Ahmedabad.

In 1487, Mahmud Begada, the grandson of Ahmed Shah, fortified the city with an outer wall 10 km (6 miles) in circumference and which consisted of twelve gates, 189 bastions and over 6,000 battlements. Ahmedabad was ruled by the Muzaffarid dynasty till 1573 when Muzaffar II was the Sultan of Ahmedabad. Gujarat was later conquered by the Mughal emperor Akbar in 1573. During the Mughal reign, Ahmedabad became one of the Empire's most thriving centers of trade, especially in textiles, which were exported to as far as Europe. The Mughal ruler Shahjahan spent a great part of his life in the city, sponsoring the construction of the Moti Shahi Mahal in Shahibaug. The armies of the Maratha generals Raghunath Rao and Damaji Gaekwad captured the city later ending Mughal rule in Ahmedabad.

The city of Ahmedabad became even more vetted in light when huge earthquakes strokes shattered the city in the year. It devastated all aspects of life including the economy, health, education and so much more in Ahmedabad. Since then the government is trying to reconstruct the city and spending upon improving the infrastructure of the city.

In recent years, the effects of globalization and the liberalization of the Indian economy have energized the city's economy. The city has witnessed the establishment of not only scientific and service industries, the expansion of the information technology sector but also significant improvements in transportation and communications. Ahmedabad’s population is growing, which has resulted in a civil engineering boom. However on the contrary, this has challenged the city's infrastructure and power supply.