Les meilleurs hôtels à Ahmedabad

The Mughal Emperor Jehangir may have called it the City of Dust, but don't let this scare you off from visiting Ahmedabad, one of India's largest industrial cities. Located in eastern Gujarat, along the banks of the Sabarmati River, there's much to see and explore here. Aside from being home to Mahatma Gandhi's Sabarmati Ashram, Ahmedabad has some of the finest works of Islamic, Hindu, and Jain architecture, and the fusion of Islamic-Hindu architecture known as Indo-Sarcenic. Founded in 1411, by Sultan Ahmed Shah, the city has gone through its periods of and grandeur and decline. It was known as a powerful, vibrant city in the 17th century, and fell into decline in the 18th. So far, the 20th century hasn't been all bad. In 1915, Mahatma Gandhi set up his ashram here, and in 1930, the Mahatma began his historic "Dandi March" to the Arabian Sea in protest of the British Salt Law. As the site of India's freedom movement, Ahmedabad enjoyed considerable attention. Today, the city continues to thrive, in large part to its textile industry, which is actually centuries-old. You'll find plenty of evidence of Ahmedabad's leading industry, from the beautiful fabrics that appear in its bazaars, to the just-printed textiles hanging to dry along the banks of the Sabarmati. To learn more about the industry, the Calico Museum of Textiles, which houses antique weavings as well as new fabrics, is well worth a visit. And of course there are the mosques, temples, step-wells and tombs to check out. The Sidi Bashir's Mosque is known for its "earthquake-proof" shaking minarets. The Hathee Singh Temple, built out of cool, white marble, is one of the most famous Jain temples in the region. Rani Sipri's Mosque is known for its elegant design, while Sidi Saiyad's Mosque has beautiful windows and stone carvings. A wall once enclosed the city, but today, all that remains are a few of the old gates. Inside the old city, you can lose yourself in the different neighborhoods, or pols, where people still live according to their trade.