People from distant lands visited Surat because:

1. Surat was the gateway of trade with west Asia.

2. It was also famous for its Zari textiles which had a huge market in west Asia, Africa and Europe.

3. It has also been called the gate of Mecca because many pilgrim ships set sail from here.

4. It has big market of cotton textiles.

5. It also provides rest-houses to the traders who traveled from other locations.