Patan is a historic town situated on the river Saraswati,130 km from Ahmedabad. It was founded in 1796 AD. Patan was originally known as Anhil-Vad-Patan and flourished during the Solanki dynasty. It was the capital of Gujarat from the 8th century till Ahmed Shah moved the capital to Ahmedabad. There are many special features as regards Patan. It has architectural marvels in the form of monuments, step well, temples etc. One of Gujarat's oldest step well Rani-ki-wav is located here. It is the oldest and most well preserved 'baoli' in Gujarat and boasts of some of the finest carvings. The streets of Patan provide the visitor interesting views - there are carved balconies, lintels of Muslim havelis, marble domes and canopies of Jain temples (there are about 100 of them in Patan). Another charm of Patan are its famous Patola saris. Textiles like Patola silk and Mushroo weaving originated here from the time of royalty. The Sahastraling lake, a large lake surrounded by beautiful temples is also an interesting place to visit in Patan.