Mehrgarh

Excavated by a French mission from the 1970s, Mehrgarh pushed the origins of farming in South Asia back by millennia: the earliest levels, from around 7000 BC, show mud-brick houses, barley and wheat cultivation, and herding of cattle, sheep and goats, with the settlement occupied for some four thousand years before being abandoned around the time the Indus cities rose. The finds are remarkable, including granaries, thousands of burials with grave goods, some of the earliest known cotton, and human teeth showing drilled cavities, evidence of dentistry around 7000 BC. The site is a series of low mounds on the plain rather than standing architecture, and it has suffered badly since excavation ended: erosion, agricultural encroachment and looting have damaged large areas, and there is no museum, signage or protection on the ground. Finds are held in museums in Pakistan and France.

History

The site was discovered in 1974 by the French Archaeological Mission in the Indus Basin led by Jean-François and Catherine Jarrige, and excavated continuously from 1974 to 1986 and again from 1997 to 2000. It is one of the earliest known sites in South Asia with evidence of farming and herding, and scholars still debate how much it owed to the Neolithic of the Near East and how much to local roots (Wikipedia, Mehrgarh).

The main sights

• The mounds - low eroded rises marking the settlement phases.
• Excavation traces - cuts and sections left by the French mission.
• The Kachi plain - flat farmland with the Bolan hills behind.
• Nothing interpretive - no museum or signage on site.

When to go

November to February; the Kachi plain is among the hottest places in the country from spring onward, with summer temperatures over fifty degrees. Mornings are the only sensible time. There is no visitor season as such since the site is unmanaged.

Before you go

Be realistic: there is essentially nothing to see for a non-specialist, just eroded mounds in farmland, with no interpretation, no facilities and no staff. The site is damaged and partly encroached. It matters enormously for what was found here, not for what stands. Local advice on current access is worth seeking.

Nearby

The Bolan Pass climbs northwest; Sibi is east on the plain.

Key facts