Mohenjo-Daro: The Ancient Indus Valley City

In the vast alluvial plains of the Indus River, where the muddy waters have deposited fertile silt for millennia, there once stood one of humanity's earliest and most sophisticated urban experiments. Mohenjo-Daro, whose name in Sindhi means "Mound of the Dead," represents far more than its modern designation suggests. This extraordinary city, flourishing between 2600 and 1900 BCE, stood as the crown jewel of the Indus Valley Civilization, also known as the Harappan Civilization, and demonstrated urban planning principles that would not be matched in complexity and sophistication for another millennium.

The emergence of Mohenjo-Daro from the prehistoric landscape of the Indus Valley represents one of the most remarkable transformations in human history. Around 3300 BCE, small farming communities scattered across the river valley began a gradual process of social and technological development that would culminate in the creation of the world's first planned cities. This transformation was neither sudden nor isolated, but represented the culmination of centuries of agricultural innovation, craft specialization, and social organization that enabled human communities to transcend the limitations of village life and create urban centers of unprecedented scale and complexity.

The geographical setting of Mohenjo-Daro profoundly influenced every aspect of its development and character. Located in what is now southern Pakistan, approximately 400 kilometers northeast of Karachi, the city occupied a strategic position on the west bank of the Indus River that provided access to both riverine transportation and the rich agricultural lands of the surrounding floodplain. The Indus River, one of the longest rivers in Asia, served as the lifeblood of the civilization, providing water for irrigation, transportation for trade, and the annual floods that deposited the fertile silt essential for agricultural productivity.