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Lahore: The Punjab government has decided to excavate the buried ancient city of Ganweri Wala in the Cholistan desert, believed to be around five thousand years old.
In the coming days, applications will be invited from those interested in the excavation of this ancient city. The team of archaeologists, including senior archaeologist and former Director of Punjab Archaeology, Afzal Khan, who visited the site of Ganweri Wala’s artifacts in recent days, shared that their team will oversee the excavation process. However, private companies’ services will be obtained for the excavation. Agreements will be made with companies that have experts in excavating historical sites. According to information, tenders for awarding contracts to private companies for excavation will be issued by the Bahawalpur Commissioner in the next few days. The excavation work can only commence after the completion of the contract process.
In line with the directive of the Chief Minister of Punjab, an 8-member team of experts in ancient artifacts has been formed, led by Dr. Muhammad Rafiq Mughal, a renowned archaeologist and former Director General of Archaeology. The team includes former Director of Archaeology Saleem Al-Haq, former Director of Archaeology Muhammad Afzal Khan, former Director of Archaeology Maqsood Ahmed, and current Director of Archaeology Muhammad Hassan, among others.
It should be noted that the discovery of the artifacts in Ganweri Wala dates back to 1975 when Dr. Muhammad Rafiq Mughal, the former Director General of Punjab Archaeology, first identified the site. However, no excavation has been carried out here to date. The main reasons for the delay include a lack of resources, insufficient water near the site, and a shortage of manpower. Experts believe that Ganweri Wala was the third major city after Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro in the ancient civilization of the Indus Valley. The archaeological site is situated approximately 60 kilometers southwest of the fort of Derawar in the Cholistan desert, between Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa. The distance from Mohenjo-Daro is approximately 340 kilometers, and from Harappa, it is 260 kilometers.
According to experts, this region was once inhabited along the Hakra River, and the residents of this city engaged in agriculture and livestock farming. However, the artifacts and remains near the canals and Hakra River are now the only remnants of this ancient city. Cholistan desert has approximately 500 sites, with Ganweri Wala being the most significant among them.
