Allah Dino is a small archaeological site of Indus Civilization situated at Dumlottee Well number 3, Murad Memon Goth, Malir
Farooq Sargani
Allah Dino is a small archaeological site of Indus Civilization situated at Dumlottee Well number 3, Murad Memon Goth, Malir, Karachi. This site extends no more than 100 meters in any direction. It is perhaps the only surviving site at the bank of the Malir River.
The early excavation was conducted under the supervision of American Archaeologist Walter Fairservis in 1973, who discovered a mid-brick structure based on formidable stone walls, and discovered a few wells as well.
According to him, “The water was stored in wells of Allah Dino that would have been used to irrigate nearby fields. Besides that, Fairservis found a seal and precious antiquities, including copper material, the Harrapan site Chula, beads, big bones, pottery and an iron blade, etc.
Walter A. Fairservis did excavation in two or three seasons, but he didn’t publish any archaeological reports of the site, and with the passage of time, the site was ruined.
After passing more than 50 years, once again the site was re-excavated by American archaeologist Janothan Mark Kenoyer and Dr. Randall Law with the collaboration of Dr. Kaleem Ullah Lashari and Asma Ibrahim (SEAS Pakistan). In between the fifteen years, the local landowner destroyed half of the site and erected a tank for the storage of water, however, at the remaining site, the excavation was restarted by archaeologist Jonathan Mark Kenoyer.
Fortunately, last year in the month of June, I got a chance to become part of the team with the help of Dr. Kiran and Dr. Javed Hussain to participate in the ongoing excavation at Allah Dino. As a student of history and archaeology, it was a great experience for me to work with a great American archaeologist who has been working on the Indus Valley civilization for the past 30 years.
The process of excavation is very tough, and that is why we have been excavating very carefully and examining the material found there. Moreover, we have been using traditional methods to excavate the site and layer by layer digging the soil and protecting the found materials. Another important aspect is documentation, and for that we have been documenting each and every thing during the excavation.

As I mentioned earlier, the Allah Dino site is located near the Malir River, so it means that the indigenous people of Malir have been living from Indus Valley civilization.
In short, due to the Allah Dino site’s geographical position – 10 miles away from the ocean, close to the Kohistan (Mountainous area), we may say that in the past this site was a major east-west trade and migration route between the Indo-Iranian Border. However, being a student of archaeology, I believe in evidence, as anything relating to my opinion has yet been discovered. The further excavation and research still continues at the site.
Read: Let the Indus River Flow Free
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Farooq Sargani is the student of History at Karachi University, Sindh