UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Pakistan

UNESCO's Description

The ruins of the huge city of Moenjodaro – built entirely of unbaked brick in the 3rd millennium B.C. – lie in the Indus valley. The acropolis, set on high embankments, the ramparts, and the lower town, which is laid out according to strict rules, provide evidence of an early system of town planning.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

Climate

Mohenjo-daro has a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWh) with extremely hot summers and mild winters. The highest recorded temperature is 53.5 °C (128.3 °F), recorded in May 2010 and the lowest recorded temperature is −5.4 °C (22.3 °F), recorded in January 2006. Rainfall is low, and mainly occurs in the monsoon season (July–September). The average annual rainfall of Mohenjo-daro is 100.1 mm and mainly occurs in the monsoon season. The highest annual rainfall ever is 1023.8 mm, recorded in 2022, and the lowest annual rainfall ever is 10 mm, recorded in 1987.

Location

Mohenjo-daro is located off the right (west) bank of the lower Indus river in Larkana District, Sindh, Pakistan. It lies on a Pleistocene ridge in the flood plain of the Indus, around 28 kilometres (17 mi) from the town of Larkana.

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q5725 (CC0).

Visiting Mohenjo-daro

The ancient settlement of Mohenjo-daro is in Larkana District in the Sindh province of Pakistan. Listed as an archaeological site of immense historical significance on the UNESCO World Heritage List, it is one of the most important archaeological sites of South Asia, not to be missed if you are interested in archaeology or in the history of the Indian subcontinent.

Believed to have been built in about 2,600 BCE on what was then the west bank of the Indus river, the city had a population of 35,000 to 50,000 at its peak. It was one of the earliest cities in the world, one of the most advanced of its time, and one of the first to be a major centre of a Bronze Age culture, the Indus Valley Civilisation. The city was abandoned around 1,900 BCE, and the reason is not known for certain.

The town was buried underneath thousands of years of dirt and soil until it was discovered in 1911 and excavations started in 1922, while major excavations were carried out in the 1930s.

Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Mohenjo-daro (CC BY-SA 4.0).

UNESCO's Description

From the ancient Neolithic tumulus of Saraikala to the ramparts of Sirkap (2nd century B.C.) and the city of Sirsukh (1st century A.D.), Taxila illustrates the different stages in the development of a city on the Indus that was alternately influenced by Persia, Greece and Central Asia and which, from the 5th century B.C. to the 2nd century A.D., was an important Buddhist centre of learning.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

History

The region around Taxila was settled by the Neolithic era, with some ruins at Taxila dating to 1000 BCE. Ruins dating from the Early Harappan period around 1300 BCE have also been discovered in the Taxila area, though the area was eventually abandoned after the collapse of the Indus Valley Civilisation.

The earliest settled occupation in Taxila Valley was found at Sarai Khola, located 2 km to the south-west of Taxila Museum, where three radiocarbon dates from Period I suggest the site was first occupied between the late 4th and early 3rd millennium BCE, with deposits of polished stone celts, chert blades and a distinctive type of highly burnished pottery that shows clear signs of the use of woven baskets in the manufacturing process and the application of a slurry to the exterior surface.

Economy

Taxila is one of northern Pakistan's most important tourist destinations and is home to the Taxila Museum which holds a large number of artifacts from Taxila's excavations. Though the number of foreign visitors to the site drastically declined following the start of an Islamist insurgency in Pakistan in 2007, visitor numbers began to noticeably improve by 2017, after the law and order situation in the region had greatly improved following the start of the 2014 Zarb-e-Azb campaign launched by the Pakistani Army against radical Islamist militants.

In 2017, the Pakistani government announced its intention to develop Taxila into a site for Buddhist religious pilgrimage.

Visiting Taxila

The ancient settlement of Taxila in the western outskirts of the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad is a UNESCO World Heritage Site; it is considered one of the most important archaeological sites of South Asia, and for good reason. There is a modern town with the archaeological sites scattered nearby.

Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Taxila (CC BY-SA 4.0).

UNESCO's Description

Following his defeat of the Mughal emperor Humayun in 1541, Sher Shah Suri built a strong fortified complex at Rohtas, a strategic site in the north of what is now Pakistan. It was never taken by storm and has survived intact to the present day. The main fortifications consist of the massive walls, which extend for more than 4 km; they are lined with bastions and pierced by monumental gateways. Rohtas Fort, also called Qila Rohtas, is an exceptional example of early Muslim military architecture in Central and South Asia.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

History

Sher Shah Suri, the founder of the Sur Empire, commissioned the Rohtas Fort on the advice of his finance minister Todar Mal, and adopted a scorched earth strategy to defeat the rebellious warring Gakhar, a local tribe who were providing bold resistance to the Surs, near the Salt Range region in Punjab. Thus the idea of the Rohtas Fort was conceived, with Sher Shah laying down the foundation of the fort. The fort occupied a strategic position between the mountains of Pothohar and the plains of Punjab, preventing Humayun from returning to India from his exile in Persia. Its name celebrated the Sher Shah Suri's 1539 capture of the Rohtas Fort in the Shahabad district of Bihar from a local Hindu prince.

Location

Rohtas Fort is approximately 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) northwest of Jhelum near the city of Dina. The fort is 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from Khukha and Gaggar Khurd and 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) south of the Grand Trunk Road, one of Asia's oldest roads. The historic Badshahi Road once passed along the northern outer wall of the fort.

Rohtas Fort is situated on a hill in the Tilla Jogian Range, overlooking a gorge where the Kahān River meets a seasonal stream called Parnal Khas. The fort is positioned 91.5 metres (300 ft) above its surroundings. It is 819 metres (2,687 ft) above sea level and covers an area of 70 hectares (170 acres).

Located at the northern edge of the Rohtas Fort, near the fort's Talaqi gate, is Gurdwara Chowa Sahib.