Ahmadabad, << `ah` muhd ah BAHD >> (pop. 5,577,940; met. area pop. 6,352,254), is the largest city in Gujarat, a state in western India. The city lies on the Sabarmati River in India’s cotton-growing region.
The city is a manufacturing and trade center for the nation’s cotton textile industry. Ahmadabad’s chemical industry produces drugs, dyes, pesticides, and plastics. Chemical plants have caused widespread air pollution.
Ahmadabad was named after Ahmad Shah I, the sultan of Gujarat who founded the city in 1411. The overcrowded, older section of the city lies on the east bank of the Sabarmati. Ahmadabad has many historic monuments as well as busy shopping areas. Weaving mills and other factories stand near this section. The west bank of the river includes many upper-class neighborhoods and Gujarat University.
