Mohenjo-daro is an ancient Indian city in present day Pakistan. The city is sometimes called by other names, but the name Mohenjo-daro is the most common and means Mohen. It was once a busy city that could house about 35,000 people. It is now the largest buried ruin that lies on the banks of the Indus River in the province of Sindh.
Mohenjo-daro was built about four thousand to five thousand years ago. It was built mainly from red brick, but other materials such as bricks and wood were also used. The city spread over about one square mile of land and consisted of two main parts.
The greater part of the city, called “the citadel,” consisted of several large buildings and a few smaller buildings. A large bath called “The Great Bath” was complete with an advanced drainage system belonging to the “castle”, as well as a large building called “The Granary”, which probably wasn’t. some barns, some residential buildings and two buildings that are believed to be meeting halls. One assembly hall is referred to as the “College”, the other simply as the “Assembly Hall”.
The second part of Mohenjo-daro is referred to as the “Lower Town”. It was a largely residential area that built various shops and many small homes. There is evidence of an extensive drainage system in Mohenjo-daro, which shows that the people were very knowledgeable when it came to drainage and flood control. . Homes are equipped with bathrooms that drain into the city’s sewage system. The lower city is built in style with streets you know by community, the roads are also exhausted.
The city of Mohenjo-daro was situated in the best place for human habitation at that time. The land around the city was naturally irrigated by the Indus River, so people were successful in agricultural pursuits. The Indus River also provided the people with a means of travel and thus trade with other communities. It is evident from the variety of materials found there that the people of Mohenjo-daro traded with other communities. There were also experienced businessmen in the city. Pottery shops, metalworking shops, bead-making shops and simple crafts are all found at site .
The city of Mohenjo-daro flourished for at least a few hundred years, but was abandoned about 3,700 years ago. Around that time the Indus River changed its course and the resulting flooding made the land useless for agriculture. Some experts believe that the city itself may have flooded, but there is no concrete evidence that it did or did not. Over time, the deserted city hid underground and was forgotten, until in 1922 by R.D. Benergi was discovered.
Excavations at the Mohenjo-daro site began shortly after its discovery. There were several subsequent excavations, the last of which took place between 1964 and 1965. Since that time, excavations have been prohibited due to problems protecting the structure from the elements. Very few excavations have yet been permitted and conservation efforts and surveys are still occurring at the site, which is now under the control of the Department of Archeology and Museums, Government of Pakistan.
Only about a third of the ruins of the ancient city of Mohenjo-daro are visible today. Because the excavation has stopped, we cannot see what the rest of the city has seen, but the experts seem to have a good idea. Fortunately the city was built on a ridge and still manages to remain above the flood plains of the Indians, otherwise we would never have seen any of it unless it had remained under water for a long time.
