“The world is a book and those
who do not travel read only one page”.
Pakistan is a land sanctified with extremely rich historical heritage, assorted
culture, and supreme natural beauty. Pakistan is the land of adventure and
nature. Tourism in Pakistan has been stated by the Lonely Planet magazine as
being the tourism industry's "next big thing". Pakistan, with its diverse
cultures, people and landscapes attracted millions of tourists per year.
Historical places merge into natural sights in a most appealing manner. We have
worth seeing historical sights e.g. Moenjo daro near Taxila, and Harappa near
Sahiwal.
Mohenjo-daro is an archeological site in the province of Sindh, Pakistan. It was
built around 2600 BCE; it was one of the largest cities of the ancient Indus
Valley Civilization, and one of the world's earliest major urban settlements, at
the same time with the civilizations of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Crete.
Mohenjo-daro, the modern name for this place, simply means Mound of the Dead in
Sindhi. The city's original name is unknown, but study of a Mohenjo-daroseal
seal suggests a possible ancient name Kukkutarma ‘the city of the cockerel.’
Cock-fighting may have had ritual and religious significance for the city, with
domesticated chickens bred there for sacred purposes, rather than as a food
source. Mohenjo-daro may have been a point of dispersion for the eventual
worldwide domestication of chickens. It is located in the Larkana District of
Sindh, Pakistan, on a Pleistocene ridge in the middle of the flood plain of the
Indus River Valley, around 28 kilometers (17 mi) from the town of Larkana.
¬¬¬¬Harappa is an archaeological site in Punjab, eastern Pakistan, about 24 km
(15 mi) west of Sahiwal. The site takes its name from a modern village located
near the former course of the Ravi River. ) The Indus Valley Civilization (also
known as the Harappan culture) has its earliest roots in cultures such as that
of Mehrgarh, approximately 6000 BCE. The two greatest places, Mohenjo-daro and
Harappa, emerged around 2600 BCE along the Indus River valley in Punjab and
Sindh. The civilization, with a writing system, urban centers, and economic
system, was rediscovered in the 1920s after excavations at Mohenjo-daro in Sindh
near Larkana, and Harappa, in west Punjab south of Lahore.
The civilization of the Indus River at Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa arose at about
2500 BCE. Apparently the Indus civilization was likely destroyed by the
Indo-European migrants from Iran, the Aryans.
The cities of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa were built of fire-baked bricks. Over the
centuries the need for wood for brick-making denuded the country side and this
may have contributed to the downfall. Their houses were so neat and well
organized. The cities had not only brick-lined streets but also a brick-lined
drain system.
The cities were built with a grid pattern of wide, straight streets. Thick walls
surrounded the cities. Many people lived in sturdy brick houses that had as many
as three floors. Some houses had bathrooms and toilets that connected to the
world’s first sewers. A system of canals provided a reliable source of water for
growing wheat and barley. There is also evidence that people herded sheep,
cattle and goats.
The ancient people of the Indus River Valley had a highly advanced knowledge of
mathematics and a sophisticated system of weights and measures. For example, the
bricks they built with–even those used in different cities–were the same size.
Archaeologists have also found evidence of musical instruments, toys and games,
and pottery. The people of the Indus River Valley were very interested in
cleanliness. Excavators have uncovered evidence of combs, soaps, and medicine
The Indus River Valley cities traded with places as far away as Mesopotamia. The
people made jewelry from stones. Traders also sold cotton cloth and hard wood.
The people of the Indus Civilization achieved great accuracy in measuring
length, mass, and time. They were among the first to develop a system of uniform
weights and measures.
Between 400 and as many as 600 distinct Indus symbols have been found on seals,
small tablets, pots and a lot of other materials, including a "signboard" that
apparently once hung over the gate of the inner citadel of the Indus city of
Dholavira.
These people were worshipped of many gods. One Indus valley seal shows a seated,
and tricephalic, figure with a horned headdress, surrounded by animals. Marshall
identified the figure as an early form of the Hindu god Shiva (or Rudra), who is
associated with asceticism,yoga, and linga; regarded as a lord of animal; and
often depicted as having three heads. The seal has hence come to be known as the
Pashupati Seal, after Pashupati (lord of the beasts), an epithet of Shiva.
Numerous objects found in excavations include figures of different angles,
copper and stone tools, carved seals, balance-scales and weights, gold and
jasper jewellery, and children's toys.
In 1927, a seated male soapstone figure was found in a building with unusually
ornamental brickwork and a wall-niche. Though there is no evidence that priests
or monarchs ruled Mohenjo-daro, archeologists dubbed this dignified figure a
"Priest-King.
A bronze statuette dubbed the "Dancing Girl", 10.5 centimetres (4.1 in) high and
some 4,500 years old, was found in 'HR area' of Mohenjo-daro in 1926.
People from all over the world visit these two historical places with greater
interest. With the presense of these places, Pakistan become a first ranked
tourism place.