The first international conference on the ancient city of Bhanbhore was organised on Saturday at the archaeological site.
People from different walks of life including diplomats from various countries attended the conference and toured the ruins of the city.
Located some 60 kilometres away from Karachi, Bhanbhore is the ruins of the ancient port city of Debal, where the young Arab warrior Mohammad Bin Qasim landed his armies in 711 AD.
Bhanbhore remained unknown for a long time until General Cunningham excavated its remains for the first time in 1910s. Henry Cousens and then NG Majumdar from the Archaeological Survey of (British) India continued his work. However, they did not find it worthwhile to explore the site. After independence, Leslie Adcock of the Pakistan Department of Archaeology worked for a brief time on limited excavations. He too abandoned his work very soon. Consistent work started in 1958 for the next eight years. These excavations brought a wealth of knowledge abut the ruined city.
The present site of the town consists of a citadel. It is 610 metres in length and 365 metres in breadth. Once, the town was restricted within the boundaries of the citadel. However, the growth of population caused the town to expand north and eastwards outside the citadel. The deep trenches laid inside the citadel reveal three different periods of history i.e. the Scytho-Parithan, Hindu-Buddhist and the Muslim Period. The earliest period appears in the pieces of pottery recovered from the site. These pieces are exact imitation of Greek pottery. The second period is reflected in ruined temples. The most important of them is Shiva Temple, which is made of mud-bricks. Traces of Muslim Period can be seen on stone sculptures, ceramic works, terra cotta specimens and inscriptions in proto-Nagri style.
Once, the town had a defensive wall made of boulders and blocks of limestone. It was supported by circular bastions at regular intervals. There were many gateways in the wall as well. One of them opened at the waterside. Remains of an anchorage and broad steps indicate the city being a port in past. Inside the citadel, there are remains of a mosque. This was, undoubtedly, the first mosque of the subcontinent. The features of the mosque resemble the Jamia Mosque of Kufa built in 670 AD.
Others antiquities recovered from the site are shell and ivory objects, pendants in terra cotta and semi-precious stones, iron objects, pottery and Kufic inscription of the Muslim era. These objects clearly show that Bhanbhore was a modern city of its time. Human skeletons, rubble of buildings and layers of ashy charcoal and stones indicate some natural calamity or war that destroyed the city forever in the 13th century.
Most probably, it was during the invasions of King Jalal Uddin Khawarizm Shah of Afghanistan that the city was demolished forever. Today, a little museum preserves coins, pottery and other objects recovered from the site.
The passage of time has left the city in ruin but the immortal love of Sassui and Punnu has recorded its name in all historical documents of the subcontinent.
Speaking on the occasion, Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah said that his government is working to rapidly develop Bhanbhore.
He urged the Thatta deputy commissioner to start work on the regularisation of Bhanbhore’s goths.
“The people of Sindh have a passion for their culture, history, language and literature. They have been clamouring since 1947 for greater provincial autonomy and devolution of the various functions to the local governance, particularly their archaeological and heritage sites,” he remarked.
Shah congratulated provincial Culture Minister Sassui Palijo for organising the conference.
Speaking on other issues, Shah said the division of Sindh is unacceptable and those who are talking about it are actually trying to divide Pakistan.
