• Mohenjo-Daro is falling victim to an unqualified and politically favored group whose mishandling is contributing to the site’s degradation
• Tragically, large sections of ancient city Lakhan Jo Daro, located in Sukkur, have also been lost

By Aizaz Peerzado

Every informed individual is well aware of Sindh’s historical significance, and hardly anyone remains unfamiliar with the ancient site of Mohenjo-Daro. But are you aware of the extent of threats this site currently faces? For any living nation, the preservation of its history is a foremost responsibility, and safeguarding archaeological sites is primarily the task of experts in archaeology.

Yet, not a single technical expert is posted at the Mohenjo-Daro site. The absence of qualified personnel inevitably brings damage something that anyone can reasonably infer. Today, even Mohenjo-Daro is falling victim to an unqualified and politically favored group whose mishandling is contributing to the site’s degradation, while the responsible institution remains largely inactive. It appears as though their institutional role is more aligned with facilitating destruction than ensuring preservation.

Throughout Sindh, ancient sites are being systematically encroached upon by local mafias, obscuring their original identity. However, in this write-up, I want to bring to your attention two of the most significant sites of the Indus Valley Civilization Mohenjo-Daro and Lakhan Jo Daro.

Mohenjo-Daro represents not only Sindh’s historical identity but also the existence of a highly developed urban civilization thousands of years ago, one that has no equivalent in the world. Yet today, the site’s archaeological remains await the intervention of true professionals those who not only understand its historical importance but can also devise scientifically sound solutions to its problems.

The so-called conservation currently underway at the site violates the very first principle of archaeological preservation: maintaining authenticity. Mohenjo-Daro, a city of fired bricks, is being patched with mud bricks and clay mortar, drastically altering its original appearance. Worse still, when these newly applied materials erode due to rain and salinity, they are simply replaced with new layers without any scientific consideration.

Even more damaging is the practice of discarding old debris and broken bricks onto unexplored areas of the site. This not only distorts the aesthetic and structural authenticity of the site but also compromises future archaeological investigations. Once such fill material is dumped over undisturbed layers, the archaeological integrity and research value of those layers is severely diminished.

Through unskilled repairs and reckless interventions, the site’s visible remains are being systematically destroyed. No strategic planning has been implemented for rainwater management, despite the damage monsoons cause each year. Instead of forming expert teams from outside or calling in seasoned archaeologists to secure the site’s deteriorating structures, the authorities launched a month-long excavation project to locate the city’s outer wall an effort of questionable necessity, given that past experts had already studied this matter.

Preserving the crumbling structures should have been the priority. Yet, archaeology officials have chosen spectacle over substance. Anyone with a critical eye can see who is responsible for this state of affairs. All that’s required is genuine interest in these sites and a real understanding of our history something only a few individuals truly possess today.

Now consider Lakhan Jo Daro, located in Sukkur, spread over fifty acres. This site, which has been subject to even more excavation campaigns than Mohenjo-Daro, is now referred to as an industrial zone. Tragically, large sections of this ancient city have been lost. Rather than removing the encroachments, the site saw further excavations in 2017, 2020, and most recently in May 2025. Except for a brief 2017 project report uploaded to the institution’s Facebook page, no other reports from these excavations have been published in any journal or archaeological magazine.

The real question is: should limited excavations be carried out on what’s left of the site, or should the focus be on removing encroachments and preserving what’s still intact? That is my question to the responsible department.

Is it more important to carry out questionable excavations and install solar-powered ACs in rest houses or to ensure the preservation of endangered remains? This pattern of action (or inaction) extends across all of Sindh, where archaeological sites face daily encroachment, yet the department seems to have conveniently forgotten its core duties.

What good are excavation projects when they don’t even result in published reports? This isn’t just administrative apathy; it’s historical injustice.

Mohenjo-Daro and Lakhan Jo Daro are not mere ruins. They are living testimonies of Sindh’s intellectual, philosophical, and artistic advancement. When such sites are handed over to unqualified individuals driven by vested interests and crony appointments.

Read: Historical sites of Sindh in a state of disrepair

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Aizaz Peerzado is resident of Village Balhreji near Mohen Jo Daro, District Larkano Sindh. He has graduated in Archaeology and currently is doing M.Phil. on fast vanishing heritage sites in the province

The post Historic Treasures Crumble Amid Apathy first appeared on Sindh Courier.

Instead of safeguarding our heritage, the focus has shifted to unchecked looting, with the Department of Archaeology in Sindh seemingly indifferent as many ancient places fall into decay

• Lakhan Jo Daro, the fourth largest site of the Indus Valley Civilization, located near Airport Road in Sukkur district, originally covering about fifty acres, has now been almost completely destroyed.

Aizaz Pirzado

The land of Sindh, with signs of human occupation in every district and Taluka, stands as a testament to its ancient and civilized history. The monuments scattered across this land provide invaluable insights into the lives of those who once lived here. The cultural and civilizational artifacts found in these sites bring our glorious past to life, instilling pride in us. Visitors to our museums are often astonished to learn that the people of Sindh possessed advanced knowledge of material craftsmanship at a time when much of the world was unaware of even basic numeracy.

Despite its remarkable history, the historical sites of Sindh are in a state of disrepair today. Although institutions have been established to protect and research these places, their incompetence has led to a failure in fulfilling their duties. In contrast, developed nations fiercely protect their historical sites as they do their national borders. In Sindh, however, ancient sites have suffered more damage from political changes than from natural factors like climate. This neglect stems from a lack of vision for preserving our past to shape a better future. Instead of safeguarding our heritage, the focus has shifted to unchecked looting, with the Department of Archaeology in Sindh seemingly indifferent as many ancient places fall into decay.

Lakhan Jo Daro dates back approximately 9,000 years and was a fully developed city with its own laws, agriculture, and trade links with other ancient societies

A particularly concerning example is the state of Lakhan Jo Daro, the fourth largest site of the Indus Valley Civilization, located near Airport Road in Sukkur district. Originally covering about fifty acres, this site has now been almost completely destroyed. According to renowned archaeologist Professor Dr. Ghulam Mustafa Shar, who supervised excavations there in 2009-2010, Lakhan Jo Daro dates back approximately 9,000 years and was a fully developed city with its own laws, agriculture, and trade links with other ancient societies, as evidenced by a seal from the Mehergarh period discovered at the site. Meher garh is known to be the first society in this region, further highlighting the significance of Lakhan Jo Daro. Professor Qasid Hussain Mallah, who led another excavation project in 2017, also encountered resistance from local groups claiming ownership of the land. Despite this, the team uncovered antiquities such as pottery, seals, pearls, bangles, and statues representing humans, birds, and animals. These finds are contemporaneous with Mohen Jo Daro, placing Lakhan Jo Daro in the Mature Indus Period—the peak of the Indus Valley Civilization.

Around 70% of the site has been occupied by factories, and the remaining 30% has been converted into residential areas such as Shaya’s Awami Town and Bismillah Town

Both Prof. Shar and Prof. Mallah emphasize that Lakhan Jo Daro was a high-ranking city of great importance, deserving the same recognition as Mohen Jo Daro. Unfortunately, the site is now overrun by factories and commercial developments. Around 70% of the site has been occupied by factories, and the remaining 30% has been converted into residential areas such as Shaya’s Awami Town and Bismillah Town. Alarmingly, a sewer system was built over part of the excavation site in 2017, destroying valuable archaeological evidence. The silence from the responsible institutions and even the educated class in Sindh is deafening.

Despite its discovery in 1988 and various excavations between 1994 and 2010, Lakhan Jo Daro’s fate has been largely ignored. Artifacts uncovered during these excavations are displayed in several museums in Sindh, yet the site itself is being gradually erased from existence.

Read: A Call for Justice in Archaeological Appointments

As a student of archaeology, I urge the Minister of Archaeology and Antiquities, Zulfikar Ali Shah, and the Director General of Archaeology, Fateh Muhammad Sheikh, to take immediate action to protect Lakhan Jo Daro and other endangered historical sites in Sindh. If we do not act now, the remnants of this ancient city will be reduced to rubble, leading to a tragic loss of one of the key landmarks of the Indus Valley Civilization. This is not just a local or regional issue—it is a national loss.

Rather than focusing on the excavation of new sites, it is crucial to prioritize the preservation of those that have already been discovered. Without proper protection from environmental degradation and illegal occupation, our priceless historical sites will continue to vanish, taking with them the stories of our past.

Read: The Dark Era of Sindh Archaeology

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Aizaz Peerzado is resident of Village Balhreji near Mohen Jo Daro, District Larkano Sindh. He has graduated in Archaeology and currently is doing M.Phil on fast vanishing heritage sites in the province

The post Historical sites of Sindh in a state of disrepair first appeared on Sindh Courier.

Aizaz Peerzado

The current state of the Archaeology of Sindh is a dark era indeed. It is heartbreaking to see our precious archaeological sites being demolished on a daily basis by the land mafia, while the authorities remain silent. Their inaction suggests that they may be complicit in this significant loss. As students of archaeology, it is our responsibility to raise our voices on this crucial issue.

Our archaeological sites are a testament to our rich and vibrant past, and we must do everything in our power to protect and preserve them. We must educate and raise awareness among our fellow citizens about the importance of these sites, for it is only through their demand for protection that we can save our heritage.

Let us not forget that these sites, such as Lakhan Jo Daro and others in Sindh, are a part of our national identity and a source of pride.

Lakheen Jo Daro/Lakhan Jo Daro Second largest but now erased out of its existence. Hope for its recovery, it is being occupied by industrial Mafia and destruction is ongoing through making factories and commercial societies over the ruins. Why people choose to destroy their cultural heritage for making themselves economically strong?

Did you Know Lakheen Jo Daro has a crucial importance in the Indus archaeology throughout the world? In this morning I was reading an article on some finds from Lakheen jo Daro By Italian archaeologists Poalo Biagi and Massimo Vidale titled” Lakheen Jo Daro, an Indus Civilization settlement at Sukkur in Upper Sindh (Pakistan): A Scrap Copper Hoard and Human Figurine from a dated context”. After read it thoroughly I just thought that what is scientific method to aware the people about importance and place of cultural heritage in fully developed societies.

The Bronze Age settlement of Lakheen-Jo-Daro is located in the northern outskirts of the city of Sukkur, ca. 2.5 km north of the present course of the Indus, where the river narrows to flow across the northernmost limestone fringes of the Rohri Hills. The site was accidentally discovered in 1985, though the first trial trenches were opened in 1994. During the cleaning of the profile of one of the trenches excavated in 1996, one copper anthropomorphic figurine was found very close to a small charcoal lens that was radiocarbon dated to 3960 140 b.p. (GrN-23123). The result attributes the deposit to a period of development of the Mature Indus Civilization. Other finds from the same trench consist of important, unique specimens among which are a group of white “steatite” micro-beads and a probable small hoard of copper items.

Therefore, we must unite and take action to ensure that they remain intact for future generations to appreciate and learn from.

It is time for us to be the voice of reason and demand that our authorities take swift action to protect and preserve our archaeological sites. Let us work together to ensure that our heritage remains unscathed, and we can continue to celebrate our past with pride.

Read: A Call for Justice in Archaeological Appointments

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Aizaz Peerzado is resident of Village Balhreji near Mohen Jo Daro, District Larkano Sindh. He has graduated in Archaeology and currently is doing M.Phil. on fast vanishing heritage sites in the province – Images provided by the author

The post The Dark Era of Sindh Archaeology first appeared on Sindh Courier.