A team of experts from the Technical Advisory Committee visited Mohenjo-daro to review the excavation work underway west of the stupa, under the supervision of foreign expert Dr. Jonathan Mark Kenoyer.
A meeting was held on Sunday, chaired by the committee’s chairman, Dr. Kaleemullah Lashari.
The meeting was attended by Director General Archaeology and Antiquities Abdul Fattah Sheikh, archaeology expert Ghulam Mustafa Shar, archaeologist Altaf Aseem, curator Ehsan Ali Abbasi, and architect Naveed Ahmed Sangah.
On this occasion, American expert Dr. Jonathan Mark Kenoyer, who is leading the excavation at the site, gave a detailed briefing on the ongoing dig. He state during this season, the team reopened Mortimer Wheeler’s trench in 1950, an ancient wall was discovered near the Great Bath west of the stupa, in an area believed to be a city defence. The current excavation team has resumed digging at this same site. The newly uncovered remains now clearly confirm the presence of a continuous fortification wall. To further verify its extent, four additional follow-up trenches were laid at intervals of every five meters, allowing the team to trace the continuity and alignment of the defense wall. Similar fortification features have also been identified at the nearby site of Stupa, strengthening the comparative understanding of urban defenses in the Indus Civilization, American expert added.
During the work, clear traces of the defense wall have been found, along with several pieces of pottery. According to the foreign expert, the exposed ancient mud-brick refuge wall suggests it was built approximately 800 years before Mohenjo-daro. He stated that they would excavate from all four sides around Mohenjo-daro to fully expose this ancient defense wall.
“We are searching for these drainage systems and will create models to show visitors. We will prepare models using raw materials so that people visiting Mohenjo-Daro don’t think it was just ruins, but understand what kind of lifestyle and civilization existed here,” Dr. Kenoyer added.
Meanwhile, Secretary of Culture, Antiquities, and Archaeology Khair Mohammad Kalwar also toured the site and reviewed the ongoing development and conservation work.
On this occasion, the cultural, Antiquities and Archaeology Secretary informed the media that the review included the Mohenjo-daro campus and antiquities, so any deficiencies found could be rectified. The Department of Antiquities and Archaeology conducted a major excavation at Mohenjo-daro with the objective of identifying the ancient city wall, locally referred to as the fasil (fortification). Building on that work, the 2026 field season has successfully relocated and re-excavated the historic trench originally dug by Sir Mortimer Wheeler in 1950.
He stated that a master plan has been prepared for Mohenjo-daro, aiming to recognize it as a heritage village. The secretary also issued instructions to the officials managing Mohenjo-daro to repair and beautify the museum, rest house, antiquities, and pathways.