Sindhu Sanskriti
Sailboat in Karachi Bay
The coast of Sindh and Makran have many sheltered bays and ancient Harappan sites have been located along the coast to the border of modern Iran. These coastal settlements were involved in fishing and trading, using the monsoon winds to travel back and forth to Oman and the Persian Gulf region.
Bullock Cart and Boat
A traditional bullock cart and flat bottomed ferry boat are still used for local transport along the Indus River near the ancient site of Mohenjo-daro, Sindh, in Pakistan.
Desert Nomads
Desert nomads of Cholistan in Punjab come to the annual festival at Channan Pir. They bring with them produce from their herds and minerals from the desert. Similar relationships probably existed between ancient Indus urban centers and nomadic communities.
Terraced Fields
Terraced fields along the Margalla hills north of Islamabad, represent the adaptive strategy of agriculture in different parts of the greater Indus Valley. Similar agricultural villages were established by Indus settlers in Baluchistan and the northern regions, as far north as Badakhshan in Afghanistan.
Mohenjo-Daro, Sindh
This view shows the high western mound made up of a massive mud brick platform and brick houses of the Harappan period ( 2600 to 1900 B. C.). On top of the Harappan structures is a Buddhist period stupa made of mud brick that dates to the first century A.D.
Chitral Valley
The aromatic cedar or deodar growing in Chitral valley is still used to make houses and coffins, following a tradition that dates back to the first Indus cities. Beyond the snow capped mountains in the background is the region of Badakhshan, Afghanistan, a major source of the deep blue lapis lazuli. This valuable rock was mined during the Indus period and traded throughout the Indus Valley and to far off Mesopotamia and Egypt.