LARKANA: During the current excavation at Mohenjo-Daro, clear remains of a defensive wall have been uncovered, along with a large number of pottery fragments.

This was stated by American excavation expert Mark Kenoyer at a detailed briefing held the other day on the ongoing excavation work at the historic site.

The briefing was held at the site when a team of experts from the Technical Consultative Committee (TCC) of National Fund for Mohenjo-Daro (NFM) met after two years to review the ongoing excavation being carried out in the west of the stupa under the supervision of Mr Kenoyer. The meeting was chaired by the committee’s chairman Dr Kaleemullah Lashari.

The American excavation expert informed the meeting that during excavations in 1950, foreign expert Sir Mortimer Wheeler had discovered traces of an ancient defensive wall near the Great Bath on the western side of the stupa. Excavation work has now been restarted at the same location by his team.

He further stated that excavation would be carried out on all four sides of Mohenjo Daro in order to fully expose that ancient defensive wall. He claimed that the defensive wall uncovered during the excavation predated Mohenjo-Daro by 800 years. However, local experts have expressed reservations over the claim.

The meeting was attended by Director General Archaeology and Antiquities Abdul Fattah Shaikh, archaeologists Ghulam Mustafa Shar and Altaf Aseem, curator Ehsan Ali Abbasi and architect Naveed Ahmed Sangah.

Published in Dawn, January 19th, 2026