Lakhan-jo-daro is an archeological site and one of the largest cities of the
Indus Valley civilization
The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also known as the Indus Civilisation was a Bronze Age civilisation in the northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE, and in its mature form 2600 BCE to 1900&n ...
. It is located within an industrial zone on the outskirts of the modern city of
Sukkur
Sukkur (; ) is a city in the Pakistani province of Sindh along the western bank of the Indus River, directly across from the historic city of Rohri. Sukkur is the third largest city in Sindh after Karachi and Hyderabad, and 14th largest ci ...
and situated at the distance of mere 75 kilometers from another major city of its contemporary era,
Mohenjo Daro
Mohenjo-daro (; sd, موئن جو دڙو'', ''meaning 'Mound of the Dead Men';
Excavation
The site, located in
Sukkur District
Sukkur District ( sd, سکر ضلعو, ur, ) is a district in Sindh Province in Pakistan. It is divided into 5 administrative townships (''tehsils'', also called "talukas"), namely: Sukkur City, New Sukkur, Rohri, Saleh Pat and Pano Aqil. Amon ...
(around 100 km away from the
Mohenjo-daro
Mohenjo-daro (; sd, موئن جو دڙو'', ''meaning 'Mound of the Dead Men';Indus River
The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet, flows northwest through the disputed region of Kashmir, ...
was first discovered in 1985 by Prof Qasid Mallah and his team from Khairpur University. It was excavated in 2006 by the archeologists and students of
Shah Abdul Latif University
Shah Abdul Latif University ( ur, , sd, شاه عبداللطيف يونيورسٽي; abbreviated as SALU), is a public research university located in rural Khairpur of Sindh, Pakistan. The university is named after the mystic poet and spiri ...
. Excavations were also undertaken by Prof. Muhammad Mukhtiar Kazi of
University of Sindh
The University of Sindh ( ur, ; sd, سنڌ يونيورسٽي; informally known as Sindh University) is a public research university in Pakistan located in the city of Jamshoro. It is one of the oldest universities in Pakistan and was certifi ...
during 1996 and 2000. According to Dr. Mark Kenoyer, it covers an area of more than 300 hectares, as large as Mohenjo Daro (250 Ha) and was the second largest city of the Indus Valley civilization.The Archaeology of Indus Urbanism: Comparing Mohenjo Daro, Harappa and Dholavira: Lecture by JM Kenoyer /ref>
Historical significance
Lakhueen-jo-daro is located near Sukkur. Material cultural finds of this site indicate that it predates
Mature Harappan
The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also known as the Indus Civilisation was a Bronze Age civilisation in the northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from 3300 Common Era, BCE to 1300 BCE, and in its mature form 2600 B ...
period. It covers a large area in the form of few mounds.
A radiocarbon date obtained from a charcoal sample collected from the same trial trench opened in mound "C" from which samples were taken by the Italian archaeological mission in Sindh in 1997, and the bronze figurine was found by the same mission, confirm the datation of this part of the site (GrN-23123: 3960+/-140 BP; 2478+/-215 cal BC at 1 sigma)(see Biagi and Starnini 2021)