Rehman Dheri

One of the earliest known planned urban settlements in South Asia, a Bronze Age mound near Dera Ismail Khan dating back roughly 5,000 years, older than the Indus cities of Moenjodaro and Harappa.

GPGreenPak Field GuidesSourced from UNESCO Tentative · 2 min read

Rehman Dheri is one of the earliest known planned urban settlements in South Asia, a Bronze Age mound near Dera Ismail Khan whose grid-like street layout dates back roughly 5,000 years, predating even Moenjodaro and Harappa. Excavations have revealed pottery, seals, and early evidence of the region's Indus-era trade networks.

Why go

✦One of South Asia's earliest planned settlements
✦Roughly 5,000 years old
✦Predates Moenjodaro and Harappa

Older Than the Indus Cities

Rehman Dheri's grid-planned streets push the timeline of urban planning in South Asia back earlier than the famous Indus Valley cities, making it a significant, if less visited, site for understanding the region's deep past.

Plan It with GreenPak

A specialist stop best combined with other Khyber Pakhtunkhwa heritage sites, use Plan a trip if archaeology is a focus of your itinerary.

Planning tip

Best Time to Visit, October to March; the site is an open excavation with little shelter.

Getting there, A short drive from Dera Ismail Khan.

Allow, 45 minutes to an hour; mainly of interest to those keen on early South Asian archaeology.

What to Do

◆Explore the remains of an early planned settlement

◆Trace its rectilinear streets and defensive layout

◆Examine the landscape of pre-Harappan urban development

◆Learn how settlement planning evolved before the Indus cities

Nearby

Straight-line distance from Rehman Dheri, within 5 km.

Nothing else genuinely close by (within 5 km of Rehman Dheri) is published yet.