Ahmadabad was a large town that attracted merchants from all over the globe. Its markets traded indigo, cotton fabrics and yarns, silk, diamonds and saltpetre. No import or export duties were charged at Ahmadabad, but merchants were required to make regular visits with gifts to the town's governor in his fortified castle. In 1617 the VOC opened a base in Ahmadabad. In Ahmadabad the Company purchased indigo from Sirkhej, silk
which it sold in Java
and diamonds from the Golkonda mines. As a result of the decline of the Mogul empire in the early 18th century, trade diminished and the road from Ahmadabad to Surat became increasingly dangerous. As a result the VOC closed its base in Ahmadabad in 1744.
