Surat Castle (Old Fort)

Surat Castle is the city's oldest standing structure, a 16th-century fort built on the banks of the Tapi River to defend Surat from Portuguese naval attacks. Constructed around 1546 AD, its massive stone walls rise 12 metres high with 4-metre thick battlements and iron spike defences. The fort witnessed some of the most consequential chapters in Indian maritime history and remains a striking heritage landmark at the heart of Surat's old city quarter.