state four differences between towns like surat and hampi in medieval period .
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Answer:
Hampi which is located in the Krishna-Tungabhadra basin formed the nucleus of the Vijayanagara Empire founded in 1336. A well-fortified city is revealed by the magnificent ruins at Hampi. The construction of walls was done using a technique in which stone slabs were wedged together by interlocking. No mortar or cementing agent was used in this construction. Hampi had a distinctive architecture.
Buildings: The buildings in the royal complex had splendid arches and domes. They had pillared halls with niches for holding sculptures.
Orchards and pleasure gardens: These were well-planned with sculptural motifs like the lotus and corbels.
The city bustled with commercial and cultural activities in its heyday in the 15th and 16th century.
Surat (Gujarat) was the emporium of western trade during the Mughal period. Cambay (present day Khambat) too was like Surat in terms of market hub. Later, Ahmadabad too joined the two cities as an emporium of western trade. Surat was called the gateway for trade with West Asia via the Gulf of Ormuz. It was also called the gate to Mecca because many pilgrim ships set sail from here.
The city was cosmopolitan, i.e. people from all castes and creeds lived here. The Portuguese, Dutch and the English had their warehouses here in the 17th century.