ol Valley, located in the Thano Bula Khan taluka of Jamshoro, is renowned for its megalithic sites. I have been documenting these sites since 2001. In 2010, I discovered two sites in Mol Valley that had been illegally excavated. Treasure hunters had dug up these stone circular structures in search of valuable artefacts to sell to antiquities buyers.

In 2013, I wrote a research paper on these sites, locally known as Shaikhani Buthi and Bapro Rek Buthi. This paper was later reproduced with additional information in my book Archaeology, Art and Religion in Sindh, published in 2018. I also briefly discussed these sites in my recently published book, Ancient Karachi: Reflections on Rock Art and Megaliths, released in 2024 by the Dr NA Baloch Institute of Heritage Research in Jamshoro.

The discovery of these megalithic sites marked a significant advancement in the study of Sindh’s history. These findings enhance our understanding of similar historical contexts within the region. The tombs in question are megalithic graves constructed using both dressed and undressed stones.

The discovery of two megalithic sites in Mol Valley, along with their grave goods, suggests that the megalithic culture of Sindh may have originated much earlier than the Iron Age. It potentially dates back to the prehistoric period.

The sites are located on two hills locally known as Bapro Rek Buthi and Shaikhani Buthi, about 11 km north of Mol Town. These hills feature two circular pit graves that were illegally excavated by locals looking for some treasure. Both sites are situated near Drigh Nai (an ephemeral river), a tributary of Mol Nai (another ephemeral river). Many menhirs and stone alignments are found near these ephemeral rivers, and megalithic monuments are present on both Bapro Rek Buthi and Shaikhani Buthi. In the Sindh-Kohistan region, the term buthi refers to a hill.

I visited these megalithic sites alongside the late Haji Haseen Khaskheli, Fida Hussain Khaskheli from Thano Bula Khan town and Rahim Bakhsh Salihyani from Sher Muhammad Chheno village.

Bapro Rek Buthi is situated on the right bank of the Drigh Nai. The entire surface of the hill is covered with graves dating back to the pre-Islamic period, all oriented east-west. On the northern side of the hill, there is a stone circular structure that has been illegally excavated by locals. Both the interior and exterior of the grave are circular in shape.

In 2010, I spoke with individuals who had excavated the site and several other locals, who described the structure’s architecture before it was disturbed. They recalled it as a stone circular structure approximately six feet high, with an entrance facing east. The lower slabs of the stone circular structure remain visible today, supporting the locals’ accounts and confirming the accuracy of their information.

The interior walls of the grave consist of dressed stone slabs laid one on top of the other. Judging by the shape of the grave, the burial rite appears to have been flexed, with the body interred in a fetal position. Small pottery vessels and bull-shaped terracotta figurines were placed near the head of the skeletal remains, some of which I observed had been excavated from this megalithic grave.

To the south of the circular grave, three standing menhirs are located. The central menhir is the tallest, standing 10 feet high, while the two flanking menhirs are shorter, measuring 6 feet and 3 feet, respectively. Nearby, additional circular structures are present, one of which has been excavated, though nothing was found inside. However, pottery vessels were recovered from larger stone circular structures, which at first glance appear to belong to the Kot Dijian period (3300–2600 BCE).

I shared photographs of a pot vessel found in one of these stone circular structures with Professor Jonathan Mark Kenoyer, a world-renowned scholar of the Indus civilisation. He confirmed that the vessel appears to be of the Kot Dijian type.

Apart from Bapro Rek Buthi, another hill, locally known as Shaikhani Buthi, also contains megalithic graves. It is located half a kilometre west of Bapro Rek Hill. At its foothill, several graves oriented east-west are visible.

The discovery of two megalithic sites in Mol Valley, along with their grave goods, suggests that the megalithic culture of Sindh may have originated much earlier than the Iron Age. It potentially dates back to the prehistoric period.

At the top of the hill, there is a circular pit grave that has also been illegally excavated. It closely resembles the one found on Bapro Rek Buthi. This grave is circular, with a depth of about 1.5 metres and a diameter of two metres. The stone circular structure was originally five feet in height. The interior walls of the grave are aligned with dressed stones of varying sizes and forms. Hammer marks are visible on the outer faces of the slabs. Interestingly, three cupules (or cup-marks) are present on a dislodged slab of the tomb. These cup-marks appear to be associated with funerary rituals.

I have documented hundreds of cupule sites in Sindh, some of which I have discussed in my books Symbols in Stone: The Rock Art of Sindh (2018) and The Rock Art of Karachi (2020). Bull-shaped terracotta figurines and small pottery vessels were also found in this grave. Although I only examined the pottery vessels, they appear to belong to the pre-Kot Dijian period.

Similar stone circular structures are found near Chakhari Nai, a tributary of Mol Nai. I have observed several such structures in the Maher, Tiko Baran, Belli Thap and Taung valleys in Sindh. A few have also been discovered in the Rek Valley in the Thano Bula Khan taluka. Stone circular structures also exist in the Gaj and Nali valleys. The largest one is located at Rohel Ji Kund in the Gaj Valley.

Scholars in Sindh are aware of stone circular structures, but their exact construction dates remain unknown. Only Walter Ashlin Fairservis Jr (1975), who studied similar structures in Las Bela and Makran, Balochistan, linked them to death rituals. He dated these structures to between 1400 BC and 1800 AD, as discussed in his book Roots of Ancient India: The Archaeology of Indian Civilization.

The illegal excavation of two circular pit graves, however, has confirmed that these stone circular structures were burial sites. The unlawful digging has provided valuable insights into the shape of the graves and the pottery found within them. Importantly, no lithic material or pottery was discovered on the surface of either hill; the pottery vessels were found exclusively inside the graves. These vessels appear to belong to the Kot Dijian phase (3300–2600 BCE).

Several pottery vessels were uncovered in these graves, which should not be viewed in isolation. Numerous Kot Dijian settlement sites exist in the Thano Bula Khan taluka. The primary sites are located at Kohtrash Buthi and Phang Buthi. These sites were first documented by NG Majumdar in his 1934 report Explorations in Sindh, published as Memoirs of the Archaeological Survey of India, No. 48. Later, Louis Flam further explored these locations in his PhD dissertation, Paleogeography and Prehistoric Settlement Patterns in Sind, Pakistan (ca. 4000–2000 B.C.).

In their 1993 paper, Prehistoric Soil and Water Detention Structures (Gabarbands) at Phang, Sindh Kohistan, Pakistan: An Adaptation to Environmental Change?, published in Geoarchaeology (Volume 8, Issue 2), Michael D Harvey and Louis Flam studied five gabarbands (dams) linked to two prehistoric Kot Dijian settlements, Phang and Kohtrash.

Based on the pottery vessels and the existence of prehistoric structures and sites, it can be argued that these stone circular structures may belong to the Kot Dijian period (3300–2600 BCE) or even earlier. The presence of menhirs near the stone circular structures at Bapro Rek Buthi also suggests that this site was an important megalithic location.

Additionally, a stone row with a few graves on Akro Buthi, south of Bapro Rek Buthi, further highlights the Mol Valley’s ancient history of megalithic builders. Originally, three monoliths stood in a row on Akro Buthi, but two have since collapsed, leaving only one still standing. This site underscores the work of megalithic builders from the Kot Dijian period or potentially an even earlier time.

The megalithic culture extends from Mol Valley to Baran, into various valleys in Karachi’s Malir district, and beyond Naing in Jamshoro, as well as Khairpur Nathan Shah and Johi talukas in Dadu district. I have been documenting and publishing on these megalithic sites since 2001 despite receiving limited scholarly attention. These sites represent a significant aspect of the cultural landscape of Thano Bula Khan in the Jamshoro district.

The writer is an anthropologist. He has authored 16 books on Pakistan’s cultural heritage and Anthropology. He tweets @kalhorozulfiqar and may be contacted at zulfi04@hotmail.com