Kot Diji

Kot Diji (Sindhi: ڪوٽ ڏیجي; Urdu: کوٹ ڈیجی, IPA: [koːʈ ɖiːdʒiː]) is an ancient site which was part of the Indus Valley Civilisation, estimated to have been occupied around 3300 BCE. Located about 45 km (28 mi) south of Khairpur in the modern-day province of Sindh, Pakistan, it is on the east bank of the Indus River opposite Mohenjo-daro. The remains consist of two parts: the citadel area on the high ground (about 12 m [39 ft]), and the area around it. The Pakistan Department of Archaeology excavated at Kot Diji in 1955 and 1957. The excavation at Kot Diji during 1954-55 by F. A. Khan revealed convincing evidence of the early or formative stage of the Indus civilisation in the cultural assemblage called Kot Dijian.

The site is situated at the foot of the Rohri Hills, where Kot Diji Fort was built around 1790 by the Talpur dynasty ruler of Upper Sindh, Mir Suhrab, who reigned from 1783 to 1830 AD. This fort, built on the ridge of a steep narrow hill, is well-preserved.

Cultural context

Kot Diji is the type site, i.e. the first excavated site of this type of culture, for the Kot Diji Culture which belongs to the Early Harappan Phase of the Indus Valley Civilisation, c.3300-2800 BCE. Rehman Dheri (near Dera Ismail Khan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province), has generally been considered the oldest example of this culture. Kunal (in Haryana) was excavated and found to be another old site with similar cultural artifacts.

Kot Diji and Amri, located near each other in Sindh, initially developed indigenous cultures with shared elements. Later, these cultures came into contact with the Harappan culture and evolved into the Mature Harappan culture.