Salvage Archaeology in Ahmedabad: Revealing the Hidden Layers of India’s First World Heritage City

— Munindra Joshi & Anurag Anthony

As one of India’s most historically layered cities, Ahmedabad presents a unique challenge and opportunity for heritage conservation. Beneath its dense urban fabric lie centuries of human settlement, often invisible, sometimes accidentally revealed, and increasingly vulnerable in the face of modern development. In such a living and expanding city, salvage archaeology plays a crucial role in documenting, understanding, and safeguarding the past. 

Salvage Archaeology in Action: UMC’s team documenting archaeological layers exposed during urban development in Ahmedabad’s historic core. 

UMC team members explore excavated trench for archaeological material.  This article explores the concept of salvage archaeology in the context of Ahmedabad’s long urban history, tracing the city’s evolution from early settlements such as Asaval and Karnavati to the establishment of Ahmed-Abad in the fifteenth century. It highlights why salvage archaeology is indispensable for historic cities undergoing continuous transformation, particularly those recognised globally for their heritage value. 

Potsherds collect from heaps of excavated material includes glazed wear, in A.M.T.S. Bus Depot premises, specifically, belongs to Islamic period. Why Salvage Archaeology Matters in Historic Cities 

Ancient towns and cities typically began as compact settlements, occupying limited geographical areas during their formative stages. Over time, political authority, economic activity, cultural practices, and strategic advantages led to urban expansion. As cities grew, nearby villages and smaller settlements were absorbed into the expanding urban landscape, often without clear physical boundaries separating the old from the new. 

Historic cities across the Indian subcontinent developed for varied reasons. Some emerged as political or administrative centres, expanding around royal residences and seats of power. Others flourished as port towns, riverine trade hubs, or pilgrimage centres anchored around temples and sacred sites. These functions attracted communities engaged in governance, trade, worship, craftsmanship, and service provision, gradually transforming settlements into towns and cities. 

In the course of this long urban evolution, natural calamities, such as floods, earthquakes, and droughts as well as wars, conflicts, and social upheavals repeatedly damaged or destroyed built environments. In many cases, inhabitants abandoned these areas and resettled elsewhere. Over time, ruined structures and everyday objects were buried under layers of earth, debris, and sediment. New habitations often arose over the same locations, creating stratified archaeological deposits formed through cycles of abandonment and reoccupation, a process locally known as Datan-Patan. 

In densely built historic cities, systematic archaeological excavations are rarely feasible. This is where salvage archaeology becomes essential. 

Understanding Salvage Archaeology in Urban Contexts 

Salvage archaeology refers to the documentation, study, and preservation of archaeological remains that are uncovered, often unexpectedly during construction, infrastructure development, or urban redevelopment projects. Unlike planned excavations, salvage archaeology operates under constraints of time, space, and ongoing development activity. 

When ancient structures, artefacts, or habitation layers surface during digging, they offer valuable insights into earlier phases of a city’s life. Such finds can reveal information about historical town planning, building materials and construction techniques, artistic traditions, socio-cultural practices, and political histories. Even partial documentation of these remains contributes meaningfully to reconstructing the past of complex urban centres. 

In cities like Ahmedabad, salvage archaeology is often the only practical means of accessing buried histories.

Spiral stair leading to underground structure (Tanka) 

Ahmedabad Before Ahmedabad: A Layered Urban Past 

Based on historical records, inscriptions, literary sources, and archaeological evidence, present-day Ahmedabad represents the fourth major phase of human settlement in this region, following earlier prehistoric habitation. For understanding the relevance of salvage archaeology, three historically significant settlements deserve attention: Asaval (or Ashaval/Ashapalli), Karnavati, and Ahmed-Abad. 

Although these settlements were located in different areas, together they form the foundation of Ahmedabad’s layered urban history. 

Asaval / Ashaval / Ashapalli 

Historical, inscriptional, and archaeological evidence indicates that Asaval flourished from around the eighth century CE and continued to exist as a suburb until the eighteenth century CE. The settlement broadly corresponds to areas that are today known as Khadia, Raipur, Astodiya, Raikhad, Jamalpur, and Behrampura. 

Literary sources attribute the founding of this settlement to a local chieftain named Ashabhil. Over time, Asaval evolved into a significant habitation that was later absorbed into the expanding urban footprint of Ahmedabad. 

Karnavati 

According to the Prabandh Chintamani, written in 1305 CE by the Jain monk Merutunga at Wadhvan, Karnadev Solanki, after his coronation at Anhilwad Patan moved to Asaval, defeated Ashabhil, and established a new settlement called Karnavati in 1094 CE. Karnadev is also credited with constructing temples and a large water body known as Karna-Sagar. 

Archaeological evidence supports literary references to Karnavati. A mutilated inscription mentioning Karnavatyam Stambhtirthe was discovered in the Saptarshi Aara area, while large-sized bricks found near the Sabarmati riverbank in Behrampura further corroborate the identification of this zone with Karnavati. Literary and material evidence together suggest that areas such as Behrampura and Kochrab-Paldi formed part of this settlement. 

The Founding of Ahmed-Abad 

Historical records state that Sultan Ahmed Shah I founded Ahmed-Abad in 1411 CE, to the northeast of the earlier settlement of Asaval. Major constructions during this phase included the Bhadra Fort, Ahmed Shah Mosque, the Three Gates, the Jama Mosque, and the royal Rouza. The city expanded steadily until 1573 CE, when it was captured by the Mughal emperor Akbar. 

Under Mughal administration, Ahmedabad was governed by appointed Subedars, with Bhadra serving as the administrative headquarters. The city later came under Maratha control in 1758 CE, with authority divided between the Peshwa of Pune and the Gaekwad of Vadodara, before entering British rule in 1817–18. 

Across these political transitions, Ahmedabad continued to grow as a centre of residential, religious, educational, and commercial activity, shaped by communities of diverse faiths, castes, and cultural traditions. 

Urban Growth, Disasters, and Buried Histories 

Repeated floods, earthquakes, droughts, conflicts, and episodes of violence caused damage and destruction across different periods of Ahmedabad’s history. Older habitations were abandoned, rebuilt, or buried, while new structures rose above them. Over centuries, this process created a deeply stratified urban landscape. 

Today, Ahmedabad’s dense built environment makes large-scale archaeological excavation extremely difficult. As a result, archaeological knowledge of the city increasingly depends on chance discoveries made during development projects, reinforcing the importance of salvage archaeology as a methodological and policy tool. 

Salvage Archaeology in a World Heritage City 

Recognised as India’s first World Heritage City, Ahmedabad possesses an exceptionally rich archaeological and historical legacy extending over nearly 1,600 years. This layered past underscores the urgent need to integrate archaeological sensitivity into urban planning, infrastructure development, and redevelopment processes. 

Effective salvage archaeology requires: 

● Early involvement of trained archaeologists during planning stages 

● Systematic documentation of exposed sites and artefacts 

● Coordination between planners, engineers, and heritage experts 

● Formal reporting before, during, and after development activities 

Such practices ensure that urban growth does not come at the cost of irreversible heritage loss. 

Conclusion: Protecting the Past While Building the Future 

Ahmedabad’s history, from Asaval and Karnavati to the founding and expansion of Ahmed-Abad is not confined to texts and monuments alone. Much of it remains buried beneath the city’s streets, homes, and infrastructure. In a living, growing World Heritage City, salvage archaeology provides a vital bridge between conservation and development. 

By recognising and institutionalising salvage archaeology as part of urban governance, cities like Ahmedabad can continue to evolve while remaining rooted in their layered past, ensuring that development is informed, inclusive, and historically responsible. 

Photographs and drawings: Urban Management Centre, Ahmedabad