Spirit of the Stepwell
University of Michigan
Professor: Maria Arquero
Collab.: Jess Yelk and Gwen Gel
University of Michigan
Professor: Maria Arquero
Collab.: Jess Yelk and Gwen Gel
The heat is already unbearable as the sun rises slowly over Ahmedabad. The air is dense, heavy with humidity. In the late summer, tensions are high as all the residents of the City - young and old, biped and quadruped, flora and fauna - anticipate the break in the weather. The monsoon will arrive any time now.
Ahmedabad first appeared in recorded history in 1411. At that time, the Sultan Ahmed Shah*, built the city along the Eastern Banks of the Sabarmati River in the traditional Islamic-Indian tradition. In 1487, the grandson of Sultan Ahmed Shah, Mahmud Shah built a wall around the city which contained twelve gates. Times of peace and times of conflict shaped the city. The conquering and warring empires of the Mughals, the Marathas, and the British, contributed to the city in its current iteration.
The climate and seasonality make sustaining human civilization a challenge. The semi-arid region has three seasons, winter, summer, and monsoon. The eight months of summer and winter are very dry, while the four months of monsoon are saturated. The eight months of summer dry the ground and the rivers. The monsoon months recharge groundwater every season, fills streams, and hydrates the earth.*
The ancient method of wells are used to address months without precipitation and the months with an abundance of water. Compared to a traditional well, Stepwells have steps leading down to the water’s edge, rather than a rope to lift water from the well. Often, Stepwells are multiple stories deep with landings for resting. Overtime, this became a place where people, especially women of all castes, gathered in Ahmedabad. The Spirit of the Stepwell, providing a space for utilitarian water usage and a space for social gathering, can be found all around Ahmedabad in new and old manifestations. My name is Tanvi. I am the Caretaker of the Stepwell, together we will explore the city through the eyes of different people each discovering places, new and old, which embody the Spirit of the Stepwell.
Ahmedabad first appeared in recorded history in 1411. At that time, the Sultan Ahmed Shah*, built the city along the Eastern Banks of the Sabarmati River in the traditional Islamic-Indian tradition. In 1487, the grandson of Sultan Ahmed Shah, Mahmud Shah built a wall around the city which contained twelve gates. Times of peace and times of conflict shaped the city. The conquering and warring empires of the Mughals, the Marathas, and the British, contributed to the city in its current iteration.
The climate and seasonality make sustaining human civilization a challenge. The semi-arid region has three seasons, winter, summer, and monsoon. The eight months of summer and winter are very dry, while the four months of monsoon are saturated. The eight months of summer dry the ground and the rivers. The monsoon months recharge groundwater every season, fills streams, and hydrates the earth.*
The ancient method of wells are used to address months without precipitation and the months with an abundance of water. Compared to a traditional well, Stepwells have steps leading down to the water’s edge, rather than a rope to lift water from the well. Often, Stepwells are multiple stories deep with landings for resting. Overtime, this became a place where people, especially women of all castes, gathered in Ahmedabad. The Spirit of the Stepwell, providing a space for utilitarian water usage and a space for social gathering, can be found all around Ahmedabad in new and old manifestations. My name is Tanvi. I am the Caretaker of the Stepwell, together we will explore the city through the eyes of different people each discovering places, new and old, which embody the Spirit of the Stepwell.