Mehrgarh is a Neolithic archaeological site situated on the Kacchi Plain of Balochistan in Pakistan. It is located near the Bolan Pass, to the west of the Indus River and between Quetta, Kalat and Sibi. It is located hidden in the rugged landscape of Balochistan; a place where the whispers of history tell us our ancestor’s stories. This is one of the oldest South Asian settlements, dating to roughly 7000 BCE, and it is from a pivotal era of the human history — when nomads started farming, settling and building communities.
French archaeologist Jean-François Jarrige brought Mehrgarh to light in 1974 near the Bolan Pass. What they uncovered was extraordinary: a community that grew wheat and barley and raised sheep and cattle, and which produced tools and pottery with great skill. And these weren’t just survivalists, they were innovators. Even dentistry was practiced, early dental work discovered at the site shows, with flint drills being used to treat teeth.
Mehrgarh must have been a bustling village, and you can prospectively walk through Mehrgarh to imagine that. Stories of a thriving society are told by mud-brick houses, granaries and workshops. Early trade networks as far as the Mississippi portend even more reach than their small settlement suggests, as beads made from shell, lapis lazuli, other exotic materials show how people here even made connections with each other, sharing goods, ideas, or dreams is fascinating.
Mehrgarh isn’t merely an archaeological site, it is a window into human commonality of existence. It prepared the way for the later great Indus Valley Civilization. Serving as a corner of the world where most people were coming up with ways to innovate, and create, and connect.
Mehrgarh, which stands today as a symbol of resilience and progress. To visit this sacred ancient treasure is like traveling back in time to see the beginnings of civilization, an eye-opening reminder of where humans came from and how far they have come.
