The walled city of Ahmedabad, founded by Sultan Ahmad Shah in 1411, is a dense, organic tangle of narrow lanes, monumental mosques, and small enclosed neighbourhoods called pols — each pol traditionally housing a single caste, trade, or community, with a single gated entrance that could be locked at night.
The city was originally surrounded by an 11-kilometre fortification wall with twelve gates. Most of the wall is gone today, but several gates remain — Delhi Darwaza in the north, Astodia Darwaza in the south, Sarangpur Darwaza in the east. In July 2017 the walled city became India's first UNESCO World Heritage City — recognising its 600 years of unbroken urban tradition. Spend at least half a day exploring on foot.