IT appears that the people of this region have long been familiar with the idea of gated communities. Fresh excavations at Mohenjo Daro have uncovered evidence suggesting that the ancient city may once have been enclosed by a fortification wall. According to Dr Jonathan Mark Kenoyer, a globally renowned archaeologist overseeing the project, the city had main gates where those entering were taxed. If confirmed, the finding could significantly reshape prevailing understandings of how one of the world’s earliest cities was organised, governed and sustained. With the winter season offering more favourable conditions, excavation work has resumed in selected areas of the Indus Valley site to deepen knowledge of Mohenjo Daro’s urban planning and infrastructure. The team has indicated particular interest in documenting the city’s fortifications and sophisticated drainage systems, with plans to recreate these features through models to help visitors better appreciate the scale and complexity of the civilisation that once thrived there.

These developments should excite those invested in the history of this region and the civilisations it has produced. The project is expected to span a decade and may involve university students as part of a training initiative. This presents a rare opportunity not only to advance scholarship but also to build local capacity in a field that has long suffered from neglect. Pakistan’s archaeological heritage is among the richest in the world, yet sustained investment in its study, preservation and interpretation has remained uneven at best. It matters all the more at a time when younger generations, exposed to the relentless pull of globalised culture through modern technologies, risk losing meaningful links with their own past. Archaeology and history, when pursued seriously, offer more than antiquarian knowledge. They provide a framework for understanding identity, continuity and change, which is why it is crucial for us as a society to nurture more historians, archaeologists and other scholars of the past.

Published in Dawn, January 20th, 2026