Ahmedabad declared India's first heritage city by UNESCO

The historic walled-city of Ahmedabad, that has 26 ASI-protected structures, was declared as a World Heritage City at the 41st session of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee meet in Karkow in Poland on 8 July 2017. It thus became the first Indian city to get this prestigious recognition. Close to 20 countries, including Poland, host country of the UNESCO meet Poland, unanimously supported Ahmedabad citing a secular co-existence of Islamic, Hindu and Jain communities along with exemplary architecture of intricately carved wooden havelis dating back hundreds of years. The countries also recognized that the city was a cradle for India’s non-violent freedom struggle led by Mahatma Gandhi. Ahmedabad will now join the likes of Paris, Cairo and Edinburgh.