In Harappa first site where the remains of one of the most celebrated civilization of the ancient world were first discovered. The ruins of this famous city among tourists lie at a distance about 17 miles south-west of Sahiwal. From Islamabad to Harappa 6 hours. It is connected with the Karachi-Lahore Highway by a metalled link-road of some four miles from Harappa Railway Station. South Asia is one of the most vibrant cultural areas on planet Earth. A cradle of civilization. Since we came to Pakistan we have visited many historical places including Mohenjo – Daro. And in 2025 in January my next wish came true, we visited the Harappa Museum. Such a wonderful and historical place. The exhibits are a mix of pottery, tools, and reconstructed models of the city, offering a comprehensive view of daily life, trade, and architecture. The museum features well-preserved artifacts that are meticulously labeled. It is the best place for those who have a keen interest in old historical places and architecture.
Liana tree
English speaking guide was very informative.
Potter collection from the 4000 years old Harappan civilization, so these are some of the vessels that were found during the excavation of the burial grounds at Harappan and it represents an older style of Potter these jars are usually painted with animal and floral designs their different shapes and beautiful craftmanship is an evidence of the techniques known to the Indus Valley. Potter now the jar in the middle is quite tall and its neck curves inwards and as we go to the bottom of the jar we can see the rounded base which is very smaller in diameter to hold up these jar straight therefore it needs a ring stand that we do not see in this picture.
Globular vessel again even this has a narrow base just like that tall jar and then we see some more beautifully painted smaller pots now these potty were constructed in two ways that is handmade and wheelmade. There was a pot furnace that was discovered, which proves the point that Harappan people had knowledge of how all worked which is quite fascinating to me because they knew how much soil, clay, water and temperature was needed, to produce such beautiful pots. The material that was used to make these kind of pots is terracotta. So terracotta is basically a type of clay which is later on heated after giving it a shape. It is typically brownish red in color and does not have any shiny surface or coating and I think because of this it gives an Earthly feeling. The height of these jars are roughly around 45 to 65 cm which is anywhere around 1 and 1/2 ft to 2 1/2 ft these jars were probably used to store grains and other things and what is more interesting is that these jars were often used in burials or to make offering to the dead because the people of Harappan civilization believed in life after death as they offered material as grave offerings that they used in their lifetime. The Harappan people painted these terracotta jars with red, black and green colors and they later decorated the jars with patterns of concentric circle people leaves fish, animals, bird figures like peacocks and various other the figures now looking at these jars and knowing that they were excavated from burial grounds helps us in understanding the social structure and hierarchy of a 5000-year old bronze age civilization.
