Mohenjo-daro
मोहनजोदड़ो
Mohenjo-daro, meaning 'Mound of the Dead,' was the largest city of the Indus Valley Civilization in modern-day Sindh, Pakistan. Its ruins reveal sophisticated architecture, the famous Great Bath, and undeciphered script seals that fascinate archaeologists and scholars worldwide.
Key facts
- Mohenjo-daro flourished from approximately 2600-1900 BCE with a population exceeding 35,000 inhabitants.
- The city featured the Great Bath, a 12-meter-long public bathing structure with sophisticated waterproofing using brick, bitumen, and sand layers.
- Excavations uncovered over 2,000 seals inscribed with the mysterious Indus script, which remains the world's oldest undeciphered writing system.
- The city had a fortified citadel separate from the lower city, connected by streets featuring advanced drainage systems beneath them.
- Evidence suggests high standards of living with standardized housing, suggesting strong municipal administration and social organization.
Details
Mohenjo-daro, discovered in 1922 by Indian archaeologist R. D. Banerjee, represents the zenith of Indus Valley urban civilization. The site encompasses roughly 250 hectares, making it one of South Asia's oldest major cities. Its name derives from the Sindhi language, suggesting 'Mound of the Dead,' though this reflects later interpretation rather than contemporary naming.
The Great Bath stands as Mohenjo-daro's most iconic structure—a carefully constructed public facility measuring approximately 12 meters long, 7 meters wide, and 2.4 meters deep. Water entered via an inlet system and drained through holes, suggesting use for ritualistic bathing rather than mere hygiene. Adjacent structures include a pillared hall, granaries for grain storage, and residential areas, implying this was a ceremonial and administrative district. The city's organization into a citadel (administrative/religious center) and lower city (residential area) reveals hierarchical urban planning.
The lower city housed well-built residences constructed from uniform baked bricks, many featuring private courtyards, wells, and attached bathrooms—uncommon for the Bronze Age. Standardized pottery, weights, and seals found throughout indicate centralized economic control and extensive trade. The presence of Indus script seals bearing repeated symbols and pictographs suggests administrative or commercial documentation. Like Harappa, Mohenjo-daro's decline around 1900-1300 BCE coincided with environmental changes and the arrival of Indo-Aryans. Today, the site faces preservation challenges from rising groundwater and environmental degradation, despite UNESCO World Heritage status since 1980.