For the visitor, what this translates into is a wonderful balance of the cultural, natural and historical. Begin with Bhuj’s primary source of pride: its textile workshops. These are among the finest in the world, and you’ll find people hand-spinning wool on sleeping-beauty-style spinning wheels, block-printing using dyes made from pomegranate or indigo, meticulously tying tiny pinches of fabric for bandhni tie-dye, or embroidering kaleidoscopic, mirrored fabrics.

Bhuj’s palaces offer a glimpse into the cosmopolitan lives of 18th century Mughal rulers – Hogarth prints, taxidermy collections, Venetian chandeliers and all – while the remains of its fort wall snake through the hills like a mini Great Wall. Many of the city’s buildings were badly damaged by a devastating earthquake in 2001, but Bhuj has bounced back with its historic character still impressively intact.

Then, when you’ve had enough of history, head out into the White Desert for a totally different experience, reached via the ‘Road to Heaven’, a hallucinatory, arrow-straight strip of tarmac through pancake-flat, glaring white salt flats.

Even if you’re not interested in any of this, Bhuj is just a wonderfully friendly, chilled-out place to mooch around. Chat to locals, browse the markets, and get a feel for life in an Indian desert city with an unshakeable cultural identity.