Ahmedabad — Ancient Capital of the Gujarat Dawat
أَحمَدَآبَاد — عَاصِمَةُ الدَّعوَة فِي الهِند
Ahmedabad (founded 814 AH / 1411 CE by Sultan Ahmad Shah) became a major center of the Dawoodi Bohra community in the centuries following the dawat's establishment in Gujarat. The city's prosperous Bohra mercantile community contributed significantly to its commercial fabric. Several Dais are buried in the Ahmedabad area, and the community has a strong presence there to this day, with historic mosques, madrasas, and the characteristic Bohra architecture of musafirkhanas and waaz halls. The old city of Ahmedabad (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) contains examples of the Gujarati-Islamic architectural synthesis that the Bohra community helped develop. The city's Bohra mohalla (neighborhood) preserves aspects of the traditional community life that has characterized Bohras for generations.
Why it Matters
Ahmedabad represents the long continuity of Bohra presence in Gujarat — a presence stretching back nearly a thousand years. The Bohra community of Ahmedabad are among the inheritors of the original Gujarati dawat tradition that goes back to the earliest Fatimid missionaries in Cambay and Patan. For Bohras exploring their Indian heritage, Ahmedabad is a living testament to the deep roots of the community in the Indian subcontinent.
Also in this region
4- Cairo — Fatimid Heritage Sites Cairo (al-Qahira) Duat Mutlaqeen القَاهِرَة
- Surat — Dargah of Syedna Taher Saifuddin (RA) Surat (Raudat Tahera, Bhendi Bazaar) Duat Mutlaqeen سُورَت
- Surat — Dargah of Syedna Mohammad Burhanuddin (RA) Surat (Raudat Tahera, Bhendi Bazaar) Duat Mutlaqeen سُورَت
- Navsari — Dargahs of the Duat Mutlaqeen Navsari Duat Mutlaqeen نَوسَارِي