Archaeological sites

in Pakistan

Pakistan is home t o many archaeological sites dat ing from Lower Paleolit hic period t o Mughal
empire. The earliest known archaeological findings belong t o t he Soanian cult ure from t he Soan
Valley, near modern-day Islamabad. Soan Valley cult ure is considered as t he best known
Palaeolit hic cult ure of Cent ral Asia.[1] Mehrgarh in Balochist an is one of t he most import ant
Neolit hic sit es dat ing from 7000 BCE t o 2000 BCE. The Mehrgarh cult ure was amongst t he first
cult ure in t he world t o est ablish agricult ure and livest ock and live in villages.[2] Mehrgarh
civilizat ion last ed for 5000 years t ill 2000 BCE aft er which people migrat ed t o ot her areas,
possibly Harappa and Mohenjo-daro.[2] Harappa and Mohenjo-daro are t he best known sit es from
t he Indus Valley civilizat ion (c 2500 - 1900 BCE).[3]

Archaeological ruins at Mohenjo-daro,

Sindh, Pakistan
Stone Age

Lower Paleolithic (Pre-Soanian)

View of Soan valley and Soan

River in background, near Adiala

Pre-Soanian cult ure in Pakist an corresponds t o Oldowan cult ure dat ing back t o t he Mindel
glaciat ion. Some findings in Punjab belong t o t his period.[4]

Lower to Middle Paleolithic (Soanian)

Early Soanian sit es correspond t o t he Acheulean period. Different st one art ifact s have been
discovered from t hese sit es from all over Pakist an.[4] Sit es in Soan Valley and Pot ohar Plat eau
from t his period include;[5]

Adiala
Chauntra
 Ghariala
Riwat
Balawal
Chak Sighu
Chakri
Rawalpindi
Morgah
Dina
Jalalpur Sharif

Neolithic
Mehrgarh (c. 7000 BCE - 2000 BCE), from Neolit hic age, in Balochist an is one of t he earliest sit es
wit h evidence of agricult ure and village st ruct ure.[2]

Ghaggar-Hakra (c. 6000 BCE) Art ifact s Found in Hakra Civilizat ion also dat e back t o t he same
period of Mehrgarh.[6]

Pre Harappa
Pre-Harappan farming communit ies dat e back t o Neolit hic t ime which ult imat ely evolved int o
urban Harappan civilizat ion.[7][8] Explorat ions and archaeological findings est ablish t he dat eline of
Pre-Harappan cult ure from 2700 BC t o 2100 BC followed by Harappan period from 2100 BC
onwards.[9] Some of t he regions showing pre-Harappan cult ure include;

Pirak where the culture later advanced

into Indus Valley Civilization.[8]
Bolan[8]
Kachi[8]
Sheri Khan Tarakai is a neolithic village
and second oldest farming settlement in
South Asia.[10]
Lewan[10]
Akra[10]
Kili Gul Muhammad
Amri-Nal[8]
Kulli[8]
 Kot Diji[7][9]

Bronze Age

A large well and bathing platforms

from Harappa occupation, Punjab,
Pakistan

Early Harappan

Harrappa
Rehman Dheri - 4000 BCE
Amri - 3600 to 3300 BCE
Nausharo
Rana Ghundai
Sur Jangal
 Indus Valley civilization

Mohenjo-daro in Sindh
Dabar Kot
Periano Ghundai
Chanhudaro in Sindh
Lakhueen-jo-daro
Sutkagan Dor

Iron Age

Dharmarajika stupa at Taxila ruins

Takht-i-Bahi in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Seri Bahlol in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
 Akra in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Taxila in Punjab
Mankiala in Punjab
Thatta in Sindh
Mehluha in Sindh

Middle age

Classical age

Gandhara and its capital Pushkalavati

Pattala

Late medieval age

Sagala
Islamic era
Islamic influence in t he region st art ed as early as 7t h Cent ury.

Ali Masjid
Jamia Mosque (Khudabad)
Mansura, Sindh
Debal

See also

List of World Heritage Sites in Pakistan

Hindu and Buddhist architectural
heritage of Pakistan
List of monuments in Pakistan
Tourism in Pakistan
References

1. Masson, V. M. (1999). "Lower Palaeolithic

cultures" (https://books.google.com/book
s?id=GXzycd3dT9kC&q=Soan+culture&pg=
PA53) . The History of Civilizations of
Central Asia (Vol.1). Motilal Banarsidass.
p. 50. ISBN 9788120814073.
2. West, Barbara A. (2009). "Mehrgarh, Pre-
Harappan culture" (https://books.google.co
m/books?id=pCiNqFj3MQsC&q=Mehrgarh&
pg=PA519) . Encyclopedia of the peoples
of Asia and Oceania. New York: Facts On
File. p. 519. ISBN 9781438119137.
3. Possehl, Gregory L. (2002). "Ancient Indian
Civilization" (https://books.google.com/boo
 ks?id=pmAuAsi4ePIC&q=Harappa&pg=PA1
11) . The Indus civilization : a
contemporary perspective (2. print. ed.).
Walnut Creek, Calif.: Altamira Press. p. 1.
ISBN 9780759101722. Retrieved 24 March
2013.
4. Ikawa-Smith, Fumiko (1978). Early
Paleolithic in South and East Asia (https://b
ooks.google.com/books?id=yZHmpRGYtTE
C&q=pre-soanian+sites&pg=PA89) . Walter
de Gruyter. p. 89. ISBN 9783110810035.
Retrieved 24 March 2013.
5. Parth R. Chauhan. "An Overview of the
Siwalik Acheulian & Reconsidering Its
Chronological Relationship with the
Soanian" (https://web.archive.org/web/201
20104171240/http://www.assemblage.gro
 up.shef.ac.uk/issue7/chauhan.html) .
Archived from the original (http://www.ass
emblage.group.shef.ac.uk/issue7/chauhan.
html#distribution) on 4 January 2012.
Retrieved 24 March 2013.
6. Kumar; Manoj (2017). "A study on proto
historic settlements in upper Chautang
valley Haryana" (https://shodhganga.inflibn
et.ac.in/jspui/bitstream/10603/200233/1
4/14_chapter%204.pdf) (PDF). {{cite
journal}}: Cite journal requires
|journal= (help)
7. Sen, Sailendra Nath (1999). Ancient Indian
history and civilization (https://books.googl
e.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC&q=pre+h
arappan+culture&pg=PA27) (Second ed.).
New Delhi: New Age International. p. 27.
 ISBN 9788122411980. Retrieved 25 March
2013.
8. Gopal, Lallanji (2008). History of agriculture
in India : (up to c. 1200 AD) (https://books.
google.com/books?id=FvjZVwYVmNcC&q=
pre+harappan+culture&pg=PA791) (1.
publ. ed.). New Delhi: Concept. p. 791.
ISBN 9788180695216. Retrieved 25 March
2013.
9. Bhattacharya, B. (2006). Urban
development in India : since pre-historic
times (https://books.google.com/books?id
=sdDCdpD3RRMC&q=pre+harappan+cultur
e&pg=PA19) (2nd rev. ed.). New Delhi:
Concept Pub. Co. p. 22.
ISBN 9788180692406. Retrieved 25 March
2013.
 10. "The Bannu Archaeological Project" (http
s://web.archive.org/web/2013070118031
1/http://www.arch.cam.ac.uk/bannu-archae
ological-project/) . Department of
Archaeology & Anthropology, University of
Cambridge. Archived from the original (htt
p://www.arch.cam.ac.uk/bannu-archaeologi
cal-project/) on 1 July 2013. Retrieved
25 March 2013.

Wikimed
ia
Retrieved from Commo
"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/ind ns has
media
ex.php? related
title=Archaeological_sites_in_ to
Pakistan&oldid=1204191414" Archaeo
logical
sites in
 Pakistan
.
This page was last edited on
6 February 2024, at
16:27 (UTC). •
Content is available under
CC BY-SA 4.0 unless
otherwise noted.