Area guides / Sindh / Larkana & Mohenjo-daro
Area guide
Larkana & Mohenjo-daro
One of the world's earliest cities, on the Indus
Region
Sindh
When to go
November to February. Summer in upper Sindh is among the hottest on Earth, regularly above 45°C, with almost no shade on the site.
Getting there
By road from Larkana. By air, fly to Sukkur, subject to flight availability, and continue by road.
Spots
3 key places
Overview
About Larkana & Mohenjo-daro
Mohenjo-daro, in Larkana District, was built around 2500 BCE and was one of the largest cities of the Indus Valley Civilisation, contemporary with ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with a site museum and a later Buddhist stupa on its mound.
By road from Larkana. By air, fly to Sukkur, subject to flight availability, and continue by road.
Reading the city
Start at the site museum for context, then walk the site and the Buddhist stupa on its mound. Go early; the open site is punishing by midday.
Larkana
Larkana itself, on the Indus in upper Sindh, is the base for the site and for monuments such as the Tomb of Shah Baharo. The Indus Highway (N-55) links it north and south.
Field Guides
All places →Mohenjo-daro: UNESCO World Heritage Site
Mohenjo-daro, 'Mound of the Dead' in Sindhi, is the most important surviving city of the Indus Valley Civilisation and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built around 2500 BCE on the right bank of the Indus in Sindh, it was one of the largest cities of the ancient world, home to perhaps 40,000 people, and a contemporary of Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt. Its sophistication is what astonishes: streets laid out on a grid to the compass, the world's earliest urban sanitation with covered drains and private bathrooms, a Great Bath of precision-fitted fired brick, and a script that has never been deciphered. Abandoned around 1900 BCE and lost for nearly four millennia, it was rediscovered in 1922.
Buddhist Stupa
This stupa, located within the Mohenjo-daro protohistoric complex, dates back to the 1st-5th century CE, marking a period of transition and religious influence in the region. The stupa sits atop a brick platform, at the center of a courtyard surrounded by quadrangle rooms, indicating its ceremonial significance. While the city was primarily a thriving center of the Indus Valley Civilization, later Buddhist influences are evident, particularly in the architectural features. Excavations in the 1920s and 1930s brought attention to the stupa, suggesting a Buddhist presence postdating the civilization’s decline around 1700 BCE. The stupa is a significant site reminder of the spread of Buddhism in South Asia. Today, it remains a protected site under the Antiquity Act of 1975, emphasizing its importance in both Buddhist and South Asian archaeological history.
Mohen jo Daro Museum
Mohen jo Daro Museum is a museum or cultural venue in Larkana, Sindh, giving visitors useful context for the history, archaeology, art or living traditions of the surrounding area. It is especially worthwhile before or after nearby heritage sites because the collections help connect individual monuments to a broader story.
Tomb of Shah Baharo
This huge monument was raised on a high platform and is crowned with a segmental dome surmounted by a decoration lantern. It was built with burnt bricks and finished with pucca qalai or glazed choona plaster. It is octagonal in shape and overlaid with enameled tiles.
Resorts
All resorts →GreenPak stays in this area are listed on the region guide.
