KARACHI, Aug 1: The archaeological site of Lakheenjodaro, estimated to date from the same period as Moenjodaro, has been declared a “protected antiquity” under the Antiquities Act, 1975. The federal ministry of culture’s decision has been notified in the Extraordinary Gazette of Pakistan.

Located in Deh Rahuja, some 20 kilometres from Sukkur on the Shikarpur Road, Lakheenjodaro is spread across 1,400 acres. The area was allotted to the Sindh Industrial Trading Estate Limited, Sukker, about three decades ago. During the course of development, in which six industrial plots were to be established, the ancient site was discovered by accident in 1985. The development work, which included the establishment of an ice factory and a cold storage facility, was halted.

“After the discovery, a team from the department of archaeology and museums was constituted to investigate and thoroughly survey the site,” said Qasim Ali Qasim, director of the southern circle of archaeology.

“After an examination of the findings, it was found that the place belonged to the Mature Harrapan Phase.”

Subsequent studies proved the antiquity of the site and the findings were reported in the Journal of the Pakistan Historical Society in 1988, Volume-I of the Encyclopaedia Indica in 1995 and various other journals.

In 1994, archaeologists from Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur, and the federal department of archaeology excavated portions of the area, and the university conducted independent excavations the following year. The digs revealed that the Lakheenjodaro civilisation belonged to the Bronze Age (2500BC) and was probably a contemporary of the Moenjodaro period. This was once an urban settlement where the houses were constructed of baked bricks and sewerage was disposed of through a covered drainage network. Evidence was found of a bead-manufacturing workshop on the site.

The artefacts excavated include a ring and a human figurine crafted from copper, a needle made of bone, stone weights, shards of painted pottery, a terracotta animal figurine, hammer stones and beads made of semi-precious stones. All these are now on display at the university’s museum, and as Mr Qasim said, “these constitute evidence of the skills and living standards of the ancient settlement.”

While welcoming the federal ministry of culture’s decision, an expert nevertheless warned that further conservation measures will be required. “Lakheenjodaro is now a protected place but in the future, the development of industries in the areas surrounding it could badly affect the site,” he told Dawn.