Situated at the southernmost tip of Gujarat at the entrance of Gulf of Khambath, Diu was considered as one of the most important and strategic points for its lucrative trade centuries before the Portuguese arrived.and strategic point for trade centuries before the Portuguese arrived.

The documented history of the island begins about 2,200 years ago, when the founder of the Mauryan Empire, Chandragupta Maurya (c. 321-297 BCE) extended his supremacy over Saurashtra. Subsequent eras saw Diu under the control of various dynasties that ruled over Western India, including Gujarat, like the Kshatrapas who were contemporaries of the Kushanas. The other medieval dynasties that ruled the region were the Maitrakas, the Chavadas and the Chalukyas. Later it was the Muzaffarid dynasty followed by the Portuguese colonial rule for over 400 years.

The Portuguese depended heavily on their mercantile collaborators who were the Hindu, Muslim and Parsi merchants who together formed a formidable socio- economic group. The architecture of the town bore witness to the aspects of multiculturalism that evolved in Diu.

As you pass by these various settlements, what is hard not to notice is that, while these communities settled in a segregated manner on certain streets and zones, they live harmoniously with all the other communities within the strongly fortified structure.