Growth of Muslim Population in Medieval India, A.D. 1000–1800 c11.50

c11.50

Of the chief cities of Gujarat, Cambay and Ahmedabad probably were the greatest. In Cambay flourished numerous industries and crafts,³⁵ it was visited by "about three hundred ships of different countries every year".³⁶ The city had many great buildings and many fair houses, very lofty with windows.³⁷ It had a large population.³⁸ Pinheiro describes Cambay in 1595 as "the first city of Gujarat not dissimilar to Evora in Portugal.³⁹ When Castanheda was in India (1528-38) the city was reported to have had 130,000 hearths (about 650,000 inhabitants) within the city walls. The royal palaces, warehouses, and arsenals, which occupied as much space as Evora, were separate from the city.⁴⁰ It was so renowned in the sixteenth century that Queen Elizabeth I of England knew of Akbar as the "king of Cambaya."⁴¹