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Ruins of Kot Diji, Khairpur

Remains of earliest fortified Town, situated in Deh Ghaunro, opposite Kot Diji Fort on National Highway, spreads over 3.3 acre of land. Major portion of which has been encroached by the unauthorized encroachers. Until recently this prehistoric monument was looked after by the Archaeology Department of Pakistan under notification no F-17-69/55-Esst., Dated 16 Aug 1956.

Situated fifteen miles south of the town of Khairpur, Kot Diji is the earliest known ruin of the great Chalcolithic civilization of the Indus Valley. Excavation at the prehistoric mound of Kot Diji has dismissed the long held view that “the Indus Valley Civilization was static-an uninspired monument of ultra-conservation”.

The ancient Kot Diji comprised a citadel where the ruling class llived and an outer part of the city which was the dwelling of the common populace. Today, the main axis of the 40 feet high mound runs from east to west and measures 600 feet in length and about 400 feet in breadth. Excavations, both vertical and horizontal, on the top and the eastern slope of the mound have provided a complete cross section of the Kot Diji site, revealing valuable information about the Cultural sequence, and the art and architectural details of the occupational phases.

In the upper levels of Kot Diji excavation, the general characteristics of the pottery and their designs are the same as observed in the Harappan pottery, possibly with a few minor differences, but the typical Harappan steatite seals and terracotta human and animal figurines are very rare.

Small finds from the Kot Dijian level are very rare. Still, they provide evidence of highly developed culture and compared with the Harappan specimens, they show superiority in technical skill. [Source: Khairpur Jewel & Crown of Sindh by Momin Bullo]