Walled City of Ahmedabad

Inventories for UNESCO Nomination Dossier Walled City of Ahmedabad “The search for identity, for a sense of where we belong in a changing world, appears today to be both a personal and a general quest. The reasons may go far beyond a purely intellectual quest to a yearning for stability through a sense of belonging and a knowledge of where we have come from; and behind this may lie deep-seated worries about where we – as a race, as a nation, as individuals – may be going.” Martin Bibble Martin Bibble, “The Experiences of the Past: Archaeology and History in Conservation and Development” Every other city in India has a long history as its core foundation, with its strong architectural and urban character. It leaves traces of its growth through old buildings and areas, which represent not only the history of communities but also the cultural and traditional heritage of the city. But it is the people who witness it, by living and working there, responding to city’s ever-changing form. They witness this journey when new elements get juxtaposed in the older fabric and add a new chapter to the centuries of growth. But in today’s rat-race for economic development, historic evidences are considered as liabilities instead of assets. People perceive them as inconvenient and unproductive continuations and replace them by new buildings which appear more efficient and contemporary. There lies the necessity to create awareness and sense of belongingness among people, for rebuilding people’s relationship with the city. Ahmedabad, capital city of Gujarat state became the first city to implement this idea in India. Being the first ever UNESCO World heritage city in India, citizens of Ahmedabad shared the feeling of “we-ness” which brought them closer to their roots. The essay explains this journey of documentation process for ‘Walled city of Ahmedabad’ in becoming a world heritage city in 2017 nominations. It would also put emphasis on the importance of revitalization of historic cities in India by connecting politics and community involvement as a sustainable strategy. Background for UNESCO Nomination Founded in 1411 CE on the eastern banks of Sabarmati River, Ahmedabad was one of the most famous historic cities in India because of its rich architecture inhabited by merchants, nobles and artisans. With influences from Sultanate, Maratha and British rules, Ahmedabad kept adding new techniques, materials and architectural forms to its historic fabric. Eventually, it resulted in Ahmedabad having an exceptional urban landscape and cultural heritage. It consists ruins of fortification walls, citadels, city gates, stepwells, mosques and temples. But most important parts of walled city are the vernacular architecture with wooden carved facades and the community settlements known as Pol Pols in Ahmedabad.pdf/ Air Conditioning/ Rain [online] Available at: https://www.scribd.com/document/258993777/Pols-in-Ahmedabad-pdf. The historic walled city proudly held on to its original form and functions and welcomed the gradual social and demographic changes. But infrastructural developments and transportation services took a major shift within and around the city in 19th century and onwards. Thus, even when city maintained its cultural authenticity and economic growth, the loss of its built heritage became evident (Fig.1). This situation enhanced the need for conservation, which led many historians, architects, urban planners and archaeologists to come forward. Prof. Ratna Naidu, remarks that: “Deprived of the economic opportunities with the dismantling of the feudal structure and deprived of its elite who are usually the powerful spokesmen for the maintenance and enhancement of civic amenities, the walled city has become a victim of blight. The walled city today as an area languishes from multiple deprivation such as poverty of urban infrastructure, poverty of income and employment of its residents and their lack of access to the power elite who formulate policies for the urban region. These interlocking cycles of deprivation are poised to destroy a priceless heritage. The walled city was once a viable form in which lived the rich, middle and lower classes belonging to different ethnic groups – Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs – in peace and harmony Naidu, R.,A Conceptual Framework for Renewal of Walled Cities in India, Ekistics, Sept.-Dec., 1994..” Fig. 1 Evolution of Pols and Walled city “http://www.cmdachennai.gov.in/pdfs/seminar_heritage_buildings/Heritage_Conservation_in_ Ahmadabad.pdf” After significant work over few decades, the walled city and its historic core of 5.4 sq km was identified by the professionals (Fig.2). But due to political interferences, weak policy frameworks and lack of collective support, they were unable to achieve desired outcomes. Then, on the occasion of 600th year anniversary of city’s foundation, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) took the initiative and declared for Inscription of the Historic City on UNESCO’s World Heritage List World Heritage Nomination Dossier- Historic City Of Ahmedabad Whc.unesco.org.(2018). [online] Available at: https://whc.unesco.org/document/155805 . The main aim for the inscription was to make citizens proud of the city and promote the cultural heritage with mass appeal. They also hoped to translate this into stronger political support, public interest and a sense of commitment towards preservation and conservation of the city (Fig.3). The Centre for Conservation Studies, CEPT University https://cept.ac.in https://cept.ac.in/archives/event/cept-archives-five-decades-of-documentation was appointed by AMC to do the necessary preparations of Nomination Dossier. Right after the announcement, initial steps were taken for the documentation processes and Historic City was placed on the tentative list of UNESCO in March 2011. Fig. 2 Walled city of Ahmedabad “http://www.cmdachennai.gov.in/pdfs/seminar_heritage_buildings/Heritage_Conservation_in_ Ahmadabad.pdf” Fig. 3 Citizen Participation Debashish Nayak, Revitalising our walled cities Overview of existing documentation Although earlier India only focused on documenting built heritage for conservation purposes, fortunately Ahmedabad has been studied with almost every single perspective, ranging from traditional houses, Pols, temples, precincts historic centers etc. Thus, the information received while documenting the walled city was extremely useful. One documentation proposal that stood out the most was by Sir Patrick Geddes in 1915, which was later published in 1984. In his note, he wrote a report on his visit of the city (1914) and also mentioned “the need for a thorough survey of city based on Cities and Town planning exhibitions prevalent in London”. Geddes, Patrick. "Note on Ahmedabad". “Environmental Design: Journal of the Islamic Environmental Design Research Centre, edited by Attilo Petruccioli. Rome: Libreria Herder, 1984”. Following his recommendations, Archaeological Survey of India carried a survey in late 19th century to list and categorize the monuments of national importance in Ahmedabad. This survey and complete access to its inventory of historic monuments helped documenting the missing parts of the fortification walls. The Gujarat State Department of Archaeology (SDA) and library at School of Architecture and Planning, CEPT University also played a vital role of providing secondary sources for the documentation process. But the main source could have been the data by a large-scale survey and documentation exercise which took place between 1999 and 2001. It was a project for the revitalization of the walled city of Ahmedabad under the Indo-French cooperation. The Embassy of France in India & AMC between co ventured and introduced this cooperation project from 1997 to 2006. Conservation and execution recommendation drafts were prepared for conservation projects between. As AMC didn't possess essential expertise and software to store the data at that time, large amount of information is untraceable even today. Even with the existing data, unfortunately, it was hard to get precise information of site conditions. Absence of photographs, sketches and updated maps made it very difficult to use it as it is or even to update it. Thus, even with these many means of information from the past, it became crucial to initiate a new and comprehensive survey of the walled city to format as per the world heritage nomination dossier requirements. World Heritage Criteria and scope of documentation The walled city of Ahmedabad decided to propose and justify the inscription and nomination under three identified and most appropriate criteria, (ii), (v) and (vi) for the inscription to the list. World Heritage Nomination Dossier- Historic City Of Ahmedabad Whc.unesco.org. (2018). [online] Available at: https://whc.unesco.org/document/155805 They are mentioned in the final world heritage nomination dossier as below. Criteria (ii) “Exhibit an important interchange of human values over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design” It dealt with the monumental Islamic architecture and settlement structures of Gujarat in Sultanate period as well as Hindu and Jain architecture influenced by the regional culture. Criteria (v) “An outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land use or re-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures) or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change." This type dealt with the diverse and historical hierarchical settlements of houses occupied by local communities such as Pol and Pur. These community units were and still are self-sufficient with similar cultural and religious values just like any other urban system or colony. Criteria (vi) “Be directly or tangibly was associated with events or living traditions, with ideas or with beliefs, with artistic or literary works of outstanding universal significance." For Ahmedabad’s nomination, the committee considered this criterion in conjunction with the other two criteria. It also took under consideration the pioneering changes in the city's culture and society that took place in Ahmedabad because of some leading personalities like Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel, in the 20th-century freedom struggle. On the basis of the criteria mentioned above, it was decided to classify and document the built and cultural heritage within the boundary of the nominated property, which was the Core zone Data collection for field surveys took place only with external visual observations because of larger areas and time restrictions for final draft making.. The Core zone was located on east side of the North-South area and the original area of the citadel, which also included the traditional settlements of Pols around it. The remaining areas of the walled made the Buffer zone. The preference was given to traditional residential neighbourhoods within city walls. However, then the decision to propose the entire city as the nominated property was taken in 2012 which led to an expansion of the study area. Thus, making the area of documentation 543 hectares, which was scattered in 13 municipal wards (Fig.4). Fig. 4 Area for documentation and ward division “http://www.cmdachennai.gov.in/pdfs/seminar_heritage_buildings/Heritage_Conservation_in_ Ahmadabad.pdf” Data Procurement and Survey work The dossier project was directed and guided by a senior professor at CEPT University, Thiru Debashish Nayak, who had many decades of research experience in the heritage field. Along with him, department faculties of the Masters in Architectural and Settlement Conservation (M.ASC) course at the CEPT University coordinated the research work as research fellows. The university emphasizing the vernacular architecture and community settlements as a part of teaching proved to be very useful. Also, mostly the field survey teams had young conservation architects who were taught at the postgraduate programmes at the university, thus were familiar with the kind of field work expected. In terms of tools used, qualified GIS analysts from the Faculty of Geomatics, CEPT University managed the entire database using ESRI ArcGIS 10. The field work, and office work was well coordinated as the fieldwork took place in the mornings and afternoons were spent in the office, to process data and create a digital database. This work included correcting the information from surveys in the base map and drafts by using AutoCAD and MS Excel. Separate layers were used to show the correspondence to each and every attribute of the property and sites. The photographs were divided and renamed pol-wise with the help of ward names and survey number. Eventually, multiple maps were generated to present various characteristics and their division at the ward level (Fig.5). The entire documentation process is classified in 3 distinctive phases with different components in of details and amount of data acquired. Fig. 5 A typical presentation of pol maps “http://www.cmdachennai.gov.in/pdfs/seminar_heritage_buildings/Heritage_Conservation_in_ Ahmadabad.pdf” Phase 1: “Thorough documentation of all structures within the nominated property” June 2011 to July end 2011 In this phase, detailed documentation on building typologies, construction materials, section profiles, modifications to the structure, description of interesting elements was included in the inventory formats. Classification of buildings was done with 3 different themes based on architectural, historical and contextual importance. Architectural expressions and cultural significance were also considered as an important part while surveying and was included as a different section in documentation forms. Any non-quantifiable elements of the built heritage or their relationship with the surroundings were documented under ‘Remarks’ section. Changes to the historic urban environment of Ahmedabad in the form of restorations, road widening, demolitions, subdivisions and mergers proved to be the biggest challenge while documenting and updating the existing data. Site observation for these conditions became more time-consuming. Thus, eventually, preference was given to traditional housing and Pols over modern period housing and buildings. This boosted the need for further “standardisation and simplification of identification criteria” formats in upcoming phases of the documentation process. Along with the decision of standardizing the format, AMC also decided to discard the old list (2001) and generate a new list with the help of inventories used for world heritage nomination dossier. “https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282519730_Documentation_and_Cultural_Heritage_Inventories_-_Case_of_the_Historic_City_of_Ahmadabad” Phase 2: “Survey, delineation and detailed documentation of a smaller area with a high concentration of valuable properties” June 2011 – July 2012 This phase mostly focused on Pols in walled city as they were the most significant part of Ahmedabad’s historic fabric. Due to the difference in hierarchical and historical characters of the city, the cultural and social values of historic buildings and their surroundings also varied from one Pol settlement to another. A reconnaissance survey of all the Pol settlements was undertaken in walled city was conducted to identify and map the potential valuable properties (Fig.6). On the basis of time of construction/architectural idioms and number of additions, criteria were redefined to classify the properties and their authenticity into three grades, Highest, High and Moderate. At the end of the survey, information was collected and assembled digitally to form a map. The high priority zone was redefined, and road networks, routes with religious or cultural importance as well as important alleys connecting two or more Pols were highlighted. After the mapping, the necessity for a more versatile information management system was felt for conducting heritage management tasks and conservation plans. K. Shah mentions that “GIS database using ArcGIS 10 from ESRI was created to manage heritage inventories and map various features of the site. The entire CAD and photographic database created during the documentation process was then integrated into GIS (Fig.7) and a trial with pilot area geo-referenced with Google satellite imagery took place.” https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282519730_Documentation_and_Cultural_Heritage_Inventories_-_Case_of_the_Historic_City_of_Ahmadabad Jamalpur Ward 2 area was chosen for the trial study to examine the scales of GIS for detailed research. Locations, internal courtyard details, sample data on risk assessment and public infrastructure networks were included in the GIS database of the ward. Fig 6 Reconnaissance survey & Identification of study area Fig 7 Data integration in GIS Source: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282519730_Documentation_and_Cultural_Heritage_Inventories_-_Case_of_the_Historic_City_of_Ahmadabad A detailed inventory of more than 5000 structures with different architectural and cultural idioms was generated at the end of Phase II. For the inclusion in the statutory list, 2047 structures were proposed for further selection in 2013. Phase 3: “Heritage Inventory of the remaining areas of the historic city” July 2013 to August 2014 This phase dealt with the remaining sites of the historic city, mostly the culturally significant properties and architectural elements. Although the scale of the remaining area was larger, the study for it was necessary to generate a comprehensive assessment for the final updated list for nomination and protection. Visiting and listing each and every remaining site was indeed time consuming process. However, still, teams managed to include more than 600 buildings in the inventory, out of which 430 were included in the final list. The data collected over these years was presented with a city map and ward maps which were categorized according to the nature of communities, patronage, age, condition and use along with many other aspects of the building. Data analysis recorded in 2011-14 from all 3 phases of inventories was consolidated. AMC accepted lists of 2247 residential, mixed-use properties and 449 institutional properties as tentative lists of buildings under the protection of local government authorities. The buildings were classified in 4 grades – I, IIA, IIB & III accordingly to Exceptional, Highest, High & Moderate values defined in the inventories for further development plans. (Fig.8) World Heritage Nomination Dossier- Historic City Of Ahmedabad Whc.unesco.org. (2018). [online] Available at: https://whc.unesco.org/document/155805 Fig 8 Historical city of Ahmadabad with inventoried Properties Source: “https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282519730_Documentation_and_Cultural_Heritage_Inventories_-_Case_of_the_Historic_City_of_Ahmadabad” In the final stage of the documentation process, definitive heritage inventories were generated for institutional and residential structures of the walled city. Detailed records of 2696 were proposed to get on the constitutional list of protected buildings and submitted for the nomination. Due to the difference in documentation processes in India and European countries, we are not only unfamiliar but also unaware of the technicalities of World Heritage processes. However, Shikha Jain believes that “Ahmedabad's nomination process became a win-win situation because the state party and committee members truly understood its importance and contributed to strengthening the World Heritage nomination. The case of Ahmedabad is an example to the state parties and newly elected committee members for understanding the value of this process and to avoid making decisions based on pure political pressure”. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2455929617747958 On July 8th 2017, the walled city of Ahmedabad finally got included in the World Heritage Sites list at the 41st session of the World Heritage Committee in Poland. Though before the assembly, the ICOMOS postponed the evaluation and the draft decision, the committee discussed the revised draft decision and collectively voted to inscribe the property onto the list. WHC/17/41.COM/8B Paris, 19 May 2017 Original: English/French. Retrieved 10 August 2017 http://whc.unesco.org/archive/2017/whc17–41com-8B-en.pdf However, this not the end of this journey as keeping the World Heritage title is way trickier than preparing to get on the list. Of course, the bureaucracy, NGOs and committees will direct the policies and systems, but we shouldn’t ignore the fact that communities are the key role players of this whole process, particularly in a metro city like Ahmedabad. Changes and developments are going to take place, and no one can stop them. That's why; it is going to be very hard to maintain the livingness and authenticity of heritage with all living quarters. Perhaps, that is the reason why N.K Chapagain believes that “the ICOMOS recommendations in the draft decision were reminding us of that much-needed homework to be completed before appearing for the test of World Heritage”. Chapagain, N. K. (2017) ‘Inscription of the Old City of Ahmedabad in the World Heritage List: Observations on the 41st Session of World Heritage Committee Meeting’, Journal of Heritage Management, 2(1), pp. 89–93. doi: 10.1177/2455929617732197 Available at: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2455929617732197 Bibliography Ahmedabadcity.gov.in. (2018). History of Ahmedabad :: Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. [online] Available at: https://ahmedabadcity.gov.in/portal/jsp/Static_pages/history.jsp Alliance Française Ahmedabad. (2013). Alliance Française Ahmedabad. [online] Available at: http://ahmedabad.afindia.org/heritage-section/ Chapagain, N. K. (2017) ‘Inscription of the Old City of Ahmedabad in the World Heritage List: Observations on the 41st Session of World Heritage Committee Meeting’, Journal of Heritage Management, 2(1), pp. 89–93. doi: 10.1177/2455929617732197. Available at: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2455929617732197 Directorate for Architecture & Heritage, and the French Association of Artistic Action, 2001. Recommendations for the conservation and revitalization of the Walled City of Ahmadabad Geddes, Patrick. "Note on Ahmedabad". Environmental Design: Journal of the Islamic Environmental Design Research Centre, edited by Attilo Petruccioli. Rome: Libreria Herder, 1984. Accessed at: http://archnet.org/system/publications/contents/3488/original/DPC1433.pdf?1384775300 Getting the City Back to the People: Municipal Initiative in Heritage Conservation - The Case of Ahmedabad, by Thiru Debashish Nayak, Seminar on Conservation of Heritage Buildings/Precincts in Chennai Metropolitan Area, 8th October, 2010 http://www.cmdachennai.gov.in/pdfs/seminar_heritage_buildings/Heritage_Conservation_in_ Ahmadabad.pdf Gupta, Divay, INTACH (UK) Trust, 2007. Conservation Briefs, Identification and Documentation of Built Heritage in India Jain, S. (2017) ‘Old City of Ahmedabad in the World Heritage List’, Journal of Heritage Management, 2(1), pp. 94–94. doi: 10.1177/2455929617747958. Available at: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2455929617747958 Joshi, R. and Joshi, R. (2018). What Ahmedabad needs to do beyond celebrating its ‘world heritage city’ tag. [online] Available at: https://scroll.in/article/843299/what-ahmedabad-needs-to-do-beyond-celebrating-its-world-heritage-city-tag Nayak, D. (2003). Revitalising our walled cities. [online] India-seminar.com. Available at: http://www.india-seminar.com/2003/530/530 debashish nayak.htm Proceedings of the City Managers' Association workshop on The Transfer of Best Practices in 'Heritage Initiatives' of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation with Urban Local Bodies of Gujarat, 5th and 6th January 2001, reproduced on the USAID website http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNACN137.pdf Proceedings of the National Workshop on Cultural Heritage and Religious Cities organised by Peer Experience and Reflective Learning (PEARL), JNNURM, 2nd February 2009, Madurai reproduced here http://www.indiaurbanportal.in/pdf/Urban_Local_Bodies_DebashisNayak.pdf Quoted in DNA India on 7 December 2009 http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_amc-refuses-renewal-of-cruta-s-contract-on-heritage-walk_1320927 Quoted in The Week, 17 December 2011 http://week.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/MMOnline.dll/portal/ep/theWeekContent.do?contentId=10641046&programId=1073755753&tabId=15&BV_ID=@@@&categoryId=-168921 Revolvy, L. (2018). "List of pols in Ahmedabad" on Revolvy.com. [online] Revolvy.com. Available at: https://www.revolvy.com/page/List-of-pols-in-Ahmedabad Shah, K. (2015) (PDF) ‘Documentation and Cultural Heritage Inventories - Case of the Historic City of Ahmadabad’, ISPRS Annals of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, Volume II-5/W3, 2015, Taipei, Taiwan Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282519730_Documentation_and_Cultural_Heritage_Inventories_-_Case_of_the_Historic_City_of_Ahmadabad https://www.isprs-ann-photogramm-remote-sens-spatial-inf-sci.net/II-5-W3/271/2015/isprsannals-II-5-W3-271-2015.pdf Tasmayee Laha Roy, 2015. NRIs, private investors eye heritage buildings in Ahmedabad [Realty Trends]. The Economic Times, pp.The Economic Times, Jan 04, 2015. Trivedi R.K., 1962. Wood Carving of Gujarat, Census of India, 1961, Vol.V, Gujerat, Part VII (2) Isprs-ann-photogramm-remote-sens-spatial-inf-sci.net. (2018) [online] UNESCO, 16 November 1972. Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage UNESCO, 2013. Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of World Heritage Convention World Heritage Nomination Dossier- Historic City Of Ahmedabad Whc.unesco.org. (2018). [online] Available at: https://whc.unesco.org/document/155805 APPENDIX 1 Initiatives and schemes by AMC Source: http://www.india-seminar.com/2003/530/530 debashish nayak.htm Pamphlets for Award winning Heritage walk and Heritage festival by AMC APPENDIX 2 Example of protection and revitalization plan for Pol Source : http://www.cmdachennai.gov.in/pdfs/seminar_heritage_buildings/Heritage_Conservation_in_ Ahmadabad.pdf APPENDIX 3 Collection of Newspaper Articles Source: http://www.cmdachennai.gov.in/pdfs/seminar_heritage_buildings/Heritage_Conservation_in_ Ahmadabad.pdf