Mohenjo-daro is an archaeological site in Larkana District, Sindh, Pakistan. Built c. 2500 BC, it was the largest settlement of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization, and one of the oldest major cities in the world, contemporary with the civilizations of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Minoan Crete, and Norte Chico.
With an estimated population of at least 40,000 people, Mohenjo-daro prospered for several centuries, but was abandoned, along with other major cities of the Indus Valley Civilization, by about 1700 BC. The site was rediscovered in the 1920s. Since then significant excavations have been carried out at the site of the city, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980, the first site in South Asia to be so designated. The site is currently threatened by erosion and improper restoration.
History of Mohenjodaro
- Mohenjodaro is an ancient civilization which was built around 2600 BC in Sindh, Pakistan.
- It is considered to be the oldest city in South Asia and is a part of the Indus Valley Civilization.
City Planning
- The streets of Mohenjodaro are like a grid plan, meaning they are straight and horizontal.
- Excavation of a large part of the city is still pending and only one-third of the area has been excavated.
Features of the city
- Big buildings, water tanks, houses with strong walls, beautiful paintings, earthen and metal utensils, coins, statues, carved stones, and many other things have been found in Mohenjodaro.
- There is a famous water tank in the street named Daiva-Marg of Mohenjodaro, whose depth is seven feet and in this, no one's door opens in front of the other.
Culture and technology
- The culture and technology of Mohenjodaro was quite advanced. People used to make ornaments of gold and silver and used to write pure letters in a handwritten manner.
- The people there had the ability to read and write and scripts (written papers) have also been found.
Importance
- The civilization of Mohenjodaro is respected all over the world as being the most advanced and the most developed civilization of its time.
- The specialty of Mohenjodaro is its sense of beauty which was not nurtured by any king or religion but it was nurtured by a democratic society.
