Photo: Department of Archaeology & Museums, Government of PakistanField guides / Sindh / Sukkur / Lakhian Jo Daro
Field guide · Heritage
Sukkur
Sukkur District · Sindh, Pakistan
Lakhian Jo Daro
One of the largest cities of the Indus Civilisation, over 300 hectares on the edge of Sukkur.
Lakhian Jo Daro (Lakhueen-jo-daro) is one of the largest cities of the Indus Civilisation, spread over more than 300 hectares on the right bank of the Indus at the edge of Sukkur, now inside an industrial zone. Its finds show it was settled before the Mature Harappan period, and a radiocarbon date from one of its mounds points to about 2500 BCE.
Why go
- ✦A Bronze Age settlement mound
- ✦Occupied within the 3500–1800 BCE range
- ✦Part of the wider Indus-era landscape of upper Sindh
History
The site was identified in 1985 by Professor Qasid Mallah and his team from Khairpur, and excavated from the 1990s onward by archaeologists from the University of Sindh and Shah Abdul Latif University. What has come out of the ground marks it as a major Bronze Age settlement deeply engaged in craft production: semi-precious stones, beads, shell and stone bangles, seals, weights, covered drains and brick platforms.
Historical Significance
On area alone, Lakhian jo Daro ranks as one of the two or three largest Indus cities known — a discovery that reshapes the map of the civilisation in Upper Sindh.
Architecture
A settlement site in Sukkur district holding remains of the Bronze Age, within the 3500–1800 BCE horizon of the Indus world.
Why Visit
A city the size of Mohenjo-daro that almost nobody has heard of, still largely unexcavated, on the edge of a working industrial estate.
Interesting Facts
- At over 300 hectares it is larger in area than Mohenjo-daro
- It was only identified in 1985 — recent, for a city of this scale
- Finds point to intensive craft production: beads, shell bangles, seals and standardised weights
- The site sits inside an industrial zone, and much of it has been damaged
Planning tip
Best Time to Visit, November to February. Upper Sindh summers are extreme.
Getting there, Sukkur is on the N-5 and the main railway line, about 470 km north of Karachi. Bakhar island and Rohri sit together on the Indus at the city's edge.
Allow, Two to three hours for the riverside monuments; a half day for Sukkur as a whole.
What to Do
Nearby
Straight-line distance from Lakhian Jo Daro, within 5 km.
