The Indus Valley civilisation is called the cradle of civilisations of the ancient world. The evidence suggests it was built 2500 BCE. Many of its ruins were discovered during the British India era. One of them was Mohenjo-daro, or “The mound of Dead”, a metropolitan city of the Indus Valley which is located in Larkana, Sindh.

It was discovered in 1922 by R.D Banerji, under the supervision of Sir Johan Marshal who was the then Director General of Archaeology. The ruins of this ancient city comprise many houses, wide streets, grain storage areas, water tanks, wells and elaborate underground drainage systems. Numerous copper toys, amulets, jewellery, pottery and seals were discovered during the excavation.

I got an opportunity to visit Mohenjo-daro in February 2017 when an international conference was held there, attended by many foreign archaeologists and historians who presented their papers. After the conference, I visited the ancient site and was deeply disturbed to see the current state of the great city. The walls of houses in the Dikshit Area of Mohenjo-daro have begun to fall apart and many burnt bricks are pushed out from the original slots, and one can find mounds bricks scattered around. The bricks of the focal path which lead towards the main stupa are eroding, and serious damage can be seen around the swimming pools.

For decades no further excavation of this historical site has been arranged, and the concerned authorities have even failed to secure and protect valuable corners of this great cultural heritage. If no proper care and action is taken towards preserving this important historical site, our nation, the world and future generations will lose a great and glorious chapter of ancient history.

Published in Dawn, Young World, May 6th, 2017