The world was not aware about the existence of a 5000 year old civilization less than a hundred years ago. An article in the Illustrated London News in September, 1924 heralded the discovery of an ancient civilization in the Indus Valley. It took scholars several years to understand the true significance of the ancient remains of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro. As the writing system of the Indus people continues to be an enigma, their entire history cannot still be narrated with full precision and certainty.The Harappan Civilization flourished from 2600 BC to 1900 BC in an area larger than the contemporary civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt.

Excavations at Dholavira in the 1990′s revealed a fortified urban settlement with meticulous city planning, monumental architecture, an efficient water harvesting system and the world’s earliest signboard. Dholavira enjoys a pre-eminent position amongst Harappan sites as it is remarkably well preserved and provides a stratified account of the rise and fall of the Harappan Civilization through seven successive cultural stages.

Located on Khadir Island in the remote area of Kachchh in Gujarat, Dholavira is poised to become India’s most prized addition to UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites.