Archaeological project to begin on March 1

LAHORE:

Excavation work at the archaeological site of Tila Ganweriwala in Cholistan desert under the supervision of the Punjab Archaeology Department will begin on March 1 to unearth the remains of what was once part of the ancient Harappan civilisation.

The project also has the support of the Bahawalpur Commissioner Office and Thaap Organisation.

Punjab Archaeology Director General Shozeb Saeed said on Monday that the Ganweriwala Mound of Cholistan was among the major cities of the Harappan civilisation.

He added that the Punjab government had approved initial funds for the Tila Ganweriwala project. The project is an initial step towards research about the ancient history of the land and the archaeology department would continue the excavations in future, he vowed.

Eminent archaeologist and former DG Dr Muhammad Rafiq Mughal will carry out the excavations at the site, while Archaeology Director Muhammad Hassan will work as the department's representative to supervise the project.

The DG  said that the Punjab Archaeology Department was initiating three more projects of excavations at Tibba Sangarwala in  Kamalia, and Taloja Fort and Amb Temples in Khushab. He said research scholars from the academia and sister organisations related to archaeology would also be involved during the excavation operations.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 27^th, 2024.