A Gateway to the West Surat


 
 
Concept Explanation
 

A Gateway to the West Surat

A Gateway to the West:Surat

  • Surat in Gujarat was the emporium of western trade during the Mughal period along with Combay (present- day Khambat) and somewhat later. Ahmedabad. Surat was the gateway for trade with west Asia via the gulf of Ormuz. Surat has also been called the gate to Mecca because many pilgrim ships set sail from here.
  • The city was cosmopolitan and people of all castes and creeds lived there. In the seventeenth century the Portugurese, Dutch and English had their factories and warehouses at Surat.
  • According to the English chronicler Ovington who wrote an Account of the port in 1689, on average a hundred ships of different countries could be found anchored at the port at any given time. There were also several retail and wholesale shops selling cotton textiles.
  • The textiles of surat were famous for their gold lace borders (zari) and had a market in west Asia, Africa and Europe. The state built numerous rest-houses to take care of the needs of people from all over the world who came to the city. There were magnificent buildings and innumerable pleasure parks.
  • The Kathiawad Seths or Mahajans (moneychangers) had huge banking houses at Surat. It is noteworthy that the Surat Hundis were honored in the far- off markets of Cairo in Egypt, Basra in Iraq and Antwerp in Belgium.
  • However, Surat began to decline towards the end of the seventeenth century. This was because of many factors: the loss of markets and productivity because of the decline of the Mughal empire, control of the sea routes by the Portuguese and competition from Bombay (present- day Mumbai) where the English east India Company shifted its headquarters in 1668. Today, Surat is a bustling commercial centre.
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