(MENAFN- NewsBytes)
Ahmedabad first Indian city to be declared World Heritage Site
09 Jul 2017
On July 8, Ahmedabad scripted history by becoming the first Indian city to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The announcement came at the 41st session of the World Heritage Committee in Karkow, Poland.
Ahmedabad's nomination was supported by nearly 20 countries, including Cuba, Kazakhstan, South Korea and more.
One point noted about Ahmedabad was the co-existence of Hindu, Muslim and Jain communities.
The journey started as early as 1984
History
The journey started more than 30 years back, when the Ford Foundation conducted a study for conservation of structures in 1984.
Then followed the inauguration of the heritage walk from Kalupur Swaminarayan temple, and Ahmedabad's entry into UNESCO's tentative list of world heritage cities in March 2011.
In January 2016, it beat Delhi and Mumbai for the tag.
What worked for the 606-year-old walled city?
Factors
Ahmedabad has 26 protected ASI structures along with hundreds of pols (housing communities of a particular group), a special feature of the city.
It was also an important hub for the Indian freedom struggle led by Mahatma Gandhi; several sites in the city are dedicated to him.
It's now a part of 1062 world heritage sites, including the cities of Paris, Edinburg and Cairo.
Ahmedabad was chosen among 33 nominations
Fact
Ahmedabad was declared the winner among 32 other sites, including Germany's caves with the oldest Ice Age art, the Iranian city of Yazd, China's historic international settlement Kulangsu, Palestine's Hebron/Al-Khalil Old Town, and the English Lake District in the UK.
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