Punjab - Harrapa Ruins

HARAPPA – Earliest Discovered Indus Valley Town

Harappa is an archaeological site in about 200 km south of Lahore. Harrappa is the foremost discovered site of Indus valley Civilization that flourished during 3500 BC to 1500 BC. The site shows traces of a well settled community living systematically with highhygenic standards at that time. The site takes its name from a modern village located near the former course of the Ravi River. The current village of Harappa is 6 km from the ancient site.

The site of the ancient city contains the ruins of a Bronze Age fortified city, which was part of the Indus Valley Civilization, centered in Sindh and the Punjab. The city is believed to have had as many as 23,500 residents and occupied about 150 hectares (370 acres) with clay sculptured houses at its greatest extent during the Mature Harappan phase (2600–1900 BC), which is considered large for its time.

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As per archaeological convention of naming a previously unknown civilization by its first excavated site, the Indus Valley Civilization is also called the Harappan Civilization. Harrappa Museum near site displays excavated objects.
The ancient city of Harappa was incidentally discovered during British rule in early 19th century when bricks from the ruins were used as track ballast in the construction of the Lahore-Multan Railway. In 2005, a controversial amusement park scheme at the site was abandoned when builders unearthed many archaeological artifacts during the early stages of building work. A plea from the prominent Pakistani archaeologist Ahmad Hasan Dani to the Ministry of Culture resulted in a restoration of the site.