FORTRESS, DIU Diu is a city in Diu district in the union territory of Daman and Diu, India. It was the location of the pivotal Battle of Diu in 1509 between Portugal and a combined force of Turkey, Egypt, Venice, the Republic of Ragusa (now known as Dubrovnik) and the then Sultan of Gujarat, Mahmud Begada. |
||
IMAGE COLLECTION Jorge Tutor, 1995 (jorgetutor.com) António A. M. Vieira, 2009 (Virtual Tourist) Dawson Russell, 2010 (Flickr) Fernando M., 2010 (Travel Blog) (Google Images) |
Diu District is an island lying off the south coast of Gujarat's Kathiawar peninsula, separated from the mainland by a tidal creek. It has an area of 40 km², and a population of 44,110 (2001 census). The town of Diu lies at the eastern end of the island, and is known for its fortress and old Portuguese Cathedral. It is also a fishing town. The village of Ghoghla, which lies on the mainland opposite the eastern end of the island, is also part of the union territory. More... Diu era uma cidade de grande movimento comercial quando os portugueses chegaram à Índia. Em 1513, tentaram os portugueses estabelecer ali uma feitoria, mas as negociações não tiveram êxito. Em 1531 a tentativa de conquista levada a efeito por D. Nuno da Cunha também não foi bem sucedida. No entanto, Diu veio a ser oferecida aos portugueses em 1535 como recompensa pela ajuda militar que estes deram ao sultão Bahadur Xá de Guzerate, contra o Grão-Mogol de Deli. Assim, cobiçada desde os tempos de Tristão da Cunha e de Afonso de Albuquerque, e depois das tentativas fracassadas de Diogo Lopes de Sequeira, em 1521, de Nuno da Cunha em 1523, Diu foi oferecida aos portugueses, que logo transformaram a velha fortaleza em castelo português. More... The Battle of Diu sometimes referred as the Second Battle of Chaul was a naval battle fought on February 3, 1509 in the Arabian Sea, near the port of Diu, India, between the Portuguese Empire and a joint fleet of the Sultan of Gujarat, the Mamlûk Burji Sultanate of Egypt, the Zamorin of Kozhikode with support of Ottomans, the Republic of Venice and the Republic of Ragusa (Dubrovnik). More... With an area of 38.8 sq. km., and a coastline of 21 km, the island of Diu is separated from the coast by a narrow channel on the north. Of the two tiny mainland enclaves, Ghoghla is the entry point to Diu if you arrive through Una, a town in Saurashtra. The branching palms, popularly known as Hoka trees, introduce from Africa by the Portuguese and coconut palms swaying and whispering in the gentle intoxicating sea breeze extend a fascinating welcome to the visitors in Diu. The climate of Diu is pleasant throughout the year. It has sunny weather throughout the year and the annual rainfall is only 60 cms. More... Like the more celebrated Goa, Diu was a Portuguese trading outpost dating back to the 1500s, part of that seafaring empire's attempt to control the lucrative spice trade from the East. Both were wrested from Portugal by the Indian Army in 1961. But while Goa has grown into a don't-miss stop on the world-traveler circuit, a round-the-clock party on palm-fringed beaches, Diu remains pretty much as it has been for centuries: a sleepy enclave of whitewashed Portuguese buildings filled with a weird and fascinating mix of peoples, ringed by limestone cliffs and empty stretches of sand. It gets a smattering of backpackers, but its party scene is pretty much limited to vacationing Indians. More… A quick tour by scooter of the ex-Portuguese colony of Diu off the coast of Gujarat, India. More…
|
|
