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Heritage record

Harappa

PunjabSettlementUNESCO Tentative ListProtected
Harappa has the honour of being the first site where the remains of one of the most celebrated civilizations of the ancient world the Indus Valley Civilization were first discovered. The ruins of this celebrated city lie at a distance about 27 km south-west of Sahiwal. More than a century ago, in 1856 a British road-engineer, named William Bounton ruthlessly dug down these precious remains in search of brick-ballast for a railway line, during the process of that spoliation several antiquities were found which were either destroyed or taken away by the laborer. Among these a steatite seal and a few chert blades were examined by Sir Alexander Cunningham. The site remained un-attended for the next seventy years when again in January 1921, regular excavations were started by the Archaeological Survey of India and the true significance of the ruins was recognized. Among the most important building remains in the lower city were the workmen quarters, circular platforms and the great Granary.
Record ID
6579
Province / territory
Punjab
District
Sahiwal
Typology
Archaeological Site
Subtype
Settlement
Period
Proto Historic
Legal status
Protected by The Antiquity Act 1975 (As amended in 1992) (instrument: Protected by The Antiquity Act 1975 (As amended in 1992))
Tentative List
Archaeological Site of Harappa
Coordinates
30.62636, 72.86604 — source-provided, not field-verified
Verification status
source_record; automatically_standardized; verification_required
Sources
Khan, Ahmad Nabi. (1987). Archaeological Sites and Historical Monuments Protected Under the Antiquities Act, 1975. Federal Department of Archaeology & Museums, Government of Pakistan, Islamabad.

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