We learn a great deal about the Indus Valley Civilization from its remains at Mohen-jo-Daro which was one of its main cities. The site, which has been extensively dug up, has revealed a carefully planned city which must have been a flourishing place over 5,000 years ago.
The city which has been uncovered has wide streets, which are subdivided by narrower streets or lanes. The city is built mainly with baked bricks and sand; its fortification walls are also backed bricks. In the western part of the city, which is raised to the height of about 50 feet (15.24 meters) and is fortified, there are buildings which appear to have been used for religious and administrative purposes.
There is a large structure which must have been used for sorting and storing grain. In this structure, the builders have provided for air currents to pass through underground passages for drying the grain. Besides this building there is a large tank surrounded by small rooms and provided with a drain. There are many individual cells with bathrooms, which were probably occupied by holy men or priests. There is a building nearby which looks like an educational institution. There are halls in the city centre with pillared aisles.
In the residential part of the city, the domestic dwellings are fairly large. Each structure is built round a courtyard and has stairs to get to the flat roof or an upper storey. The planners of this ancient city had provided for bathrooms and wells. The sanitary provisions seem to have been well thought out; streets and houses have brick drains, and all drains have what look life inspection holes, which point to a capable municipality.
