An interdisciplinary debate on project perspectives
Table 3 Spatial extent of the top Mughal cities in 17th century
Cities | Travelers | Description about the extent of the cities | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
Agra | Francisco Pelsaert (1627) | The length of Agra was 6 kos (12 miles) including its suburbia and the breadth of the city was “by no means as great as the length” | Pelseart (1925) |
Shahjahanabad (Delhi) | John Campbell (1668) | Shahjahanabad extended three to four miles from north to south as described by John Campbell in 1668. The city was limited to 1500 acres (6.07 sq km) within the walled enclosure. However, by 18th century the city expanded beyond the wall and the area including its suburbia reached 3300 acres. | Blake (2002) |
Lahore | William Finch (1611) | William Finch travelled Lahore in 1611 and described it as ‘one of the greatest cities in the east’. According to Finch, the city was 10 miles in length. | |
Ahmadabad | Johan Mandelslo (1638) | The city was seven leagues (21 miles) in compass including the suburban areas and adjacent villages | Gazetteer (1879) |
Surat | John Ovington | The circumference of the city, with the suburb, is between two and three miles, tending somewhat in its position to the form of a semicircle | Ovington (1929) |
Fatehpur Sikri | William Finch (1610) | The length of the city was 2 or 3 cos in length (4–6 miles) | Finch (1921) |
Patna | Peter Mundy (1632) and Tavernier (1665) | Peter Mundy in 1632 noted that the city was 3 miles long; while Tavernier in 1665 estimated that it was not less than 4 miles in length. | Tavernier (1889) Jha (2005) |
Calicut | John Fryer (1672–1681) | The city as Fryer described was maximum 4 miles in length | Fryer (1698) |