Banbhore

Banbhore stands on a low mound above a creek that was once a navigable arm of the Indus, and excavation has shown continuous occupation from around the first century BC to the thirteenth century AD, through Scytho-Parthian, Hindu-Buddhist and Islamic phases. It is often identified with Debal, the port taken by an Arab expedition in 711-712, though this has not been confirmed, and the site holds the foundations of a mosque with an inscription dated to 727, among the earliest mosque remains anywhere in South Asia. Visible today are the stone city wall with semicircular bastions, gateways, street lines, the mosque platform, and industrial areas where glass, ivory and shell were worked; finds include coins, pottery and glass from as far as the Mediterranean and China. A small museum on site holds the material. The creek beside the ruins is now silted and quiet, which makes the scale of the trading city hard to imagine.

History

The site shows three periods: Scytho-Parthian from the 1st century BC to the 2nd century AD, Buddhist from the 2nd to the 8th, and early Islamic from the 8th to the 13th, after which the city was slowly deserted as the Indus changed course. It is often linked with Debal, taken by Muhammad bin Qasim in 711-712, though the identification is unconfirmed; Ramesh Chandra Majumdar made the first excavations in 1928, Leslie Alcock followed in 1951, and a major programme began in 1958 (Wikipedia, Banbhore).

What's there

• The city wall - stone defences with bastions and gates on the mound.
• The early mosque - foundations of the eighth-century congregational mosque.
• Workshop areas - remains of glass, shell and ivory working quarters.
• The site museum - coins, pottery and imported goods from the excavations.

When to go

November to February; the site is open and hot the rest of the year. Mornings are best. The museum keeps limited hours and may close on public holidays. It combines naturally with Thatta and Makli on the same road.

Things to know

The remains are foundations and low walls rather than standing buildings, and the site needs some background to be rewarding. Interpretation on the ground is minimal and the museum is small and dated. Excavation trenches are fenced in places. There is no shade.

Nearby

Thatta with the Shah Jahan Mosque and Makli is east; Karachi is west.

Key facts