LAHORE, Pakistan: The extensive project to fortify, by building wall around the 175 acres of protected land at the pre-historic site of Harrappa near Sahiwal is well underway despite slow pace of work.
This task is expected to be completed next year when this project of conservation would enter its third but last year, Incharge Muhammad Hassan said while responding to some queries by this scribe at the Harrappa Museum housed in a neat building dating back to 1967.
It may be noted that under the ongoing conservation project the walkways at the site (Harrappa ruins), and drains built to dispel rain water have been completed. The fortifying wall is likely to be completed next year provided the legal land acquisition process which is underway continues unhindered, he said
“We have to proceed very carefully and at a controlled pace as before digging up for the wall it is to be ascertained that there is no important structure underneath that needs to be conserved first”, Ahmed Nawaz Assistant Curator of the museum said.
During the last two and half decades almost 62 skeletons were also found from the site of which two (male, female) were put on display at the museum and others were re-buried at the burial site, he highlighted.
The museum is about to get an extended gallery that would display more details of the life of this ancient civilisation that had an advanced urban culture. The assorted artifacts in this new section would be on display for public by coming February, it was learnt.
“The display area has been completed, cameras and locks installed at cabinets”, and now the assortment, labelling and documentation work required before displaying the artifacts would be taken up, informed the official.
Another feature of the ongoing project is developing some seating area for the people and suitable plantation for this enclosure scheduled to be completed by December next year. This rest area would be near AB mound, it was learnt.
The continuous pouring in of the visitors at this museum spoke of its popularity amongst local public as 8,000 to 10,000 people turn up to visit this precious public facility every month.
The museum displays an assortment of terracotta figurines of human and animals, narrative seals, tools and implements in metal and stone, pottery that has interesting continuity in today’s earthenware made and used in villages, other copper, bronze, other objects such as ritual games that used dice, chessboard, jewellery and the list could be continued.
It’s a “site museum”, with the mandate to display all that is related to ancient Indus valley or Harappan civilization which “thrived” from 3300 to 1700 BC. This ancient city with planned urban living with first sanitation system of the world, their life aspects pertaining to economic activities, religion, recreation etc are reflected in the artifacts displayed at this museum and the site itself.
According to experts the ancient Indus river valley or the Harrapan civilisation belonged to the chalcolithic or Bronze Age as objects of copper and stoneware were found at various sites of this civilisation in the Sub-continent. But mature sites are limited and only six can be regarded as cities, and of these Harappa is one such pre-historic city in Punjab.
Source: APP
