Abdur Razzaq, an ambassador of the ruler of Persia, was sent to Calicut in the fifteenth century. He was greatly impressed by the:

Abdur Razzaq, an ambassador of the Timurid ruler Shah Rukh of Persia, visited India in the 1440s [1]. While he initially expressed distaste for the people and customs of Calicut, describing them as a "strange nation" [1], he was profoundly impressed by the architectural and defensive structures he encountered in India. His travelogue, 'Matla-us-Sadain wa Majma-ul-Bahrain', provides a detailed account of the massive fortifications. Specifically, he was struck by the seven lines of concentric forts that protected the city and its agricultural hinterland. Although his most famous description of seven-layered fortifications refers to the Vijayanagara capital, historical accounts of his mission to the Zamorin of Calicut highlight his observations of the region's defensive strength and urban organization during the 15th century. His writings remain a primary source for understanding medieval Indian urban planning and military architecture.

Sources

1. [1] THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART II, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 5: Through the Eyes of Travellers > A strange nation? > p. 129