Surat, one of India's fastest growing industrial centres, was founded by Parsi refugees in the 12th century. Surat's name is associated with 'Saurashtra', the region covering the peninsula of Gujarat.

Situated on the banks of the river Tapti, Surat fell to the Mughal emperor Akbar after a protracted siege in 1592, under whose patronage it become one of India's most prosperous mercantile capitals, as well as a key embarkation point for Muslims heading to Mecca.

The British first appeared on the scene in 1612, after being granted permission by the Mughals to trade in the area. Three years later, they routed the Portuguese in a navy battle off 'Bloody Point', the mouth of the nearby Swally estuary, opening a trading factory soon after. The Dutch and French followed, but saw their godowns, or warehouses, sacked by Shivaji's Marathas in 1664. The British, however, came through unscathed. By the end of the 18th century, their hold over the town and it's shipyard was finally secure.  

Surat might eventually have become west India's number one city had it not been devastated by fire and floods in 1837.