Field guides / Khyber Pakhtunkhwa / Rehman Dheri
Field guide · Heritage
Rehman Dheri
One of the earliest known planned urban settlements in South Asia, a Bronze Age mound near Dera Ismail Khan dating back roughly 5,000 years, older than the Indus cities of Moenjodaro and Harappa.
Rehman Dheri is one of the earliest known planned urban settlements in South Asia, a Bronze Age mound near Dera Ismail Khan whose grid-like street layout dates back roughly 5,000 years, predating even Moenjodaro and Harappa. Excavations have revealed pottery, seals, and early evidence of the region's Indus-era trade networks.
Why go
- ✦One of South Asia's earliest planned settlements
- ✦Roughly 5,000 years old
- ✦Predates Moenjodaro and Harappa
Older Than the Indus Cities
Rehman Dheri's grid-planned streets push the timeline of urban planning in South Asia back earlier than the famous Indus Valley cities, making it a significant, if less visited, site for understanding the region's deep past.
Plan It with GreenPak
A specialist stop best combined with other Khyber Pakhtunkhwa heritage sites, use Plan a trip if archaeology is a focus of your itinerary.
Planning tip
When to go, October to March; the site is an open excavation with little shelter.
Getting there, A short drive from Dera Ismail Khan.
Allow, 45 minutes to an hour; mainly of interest to those keen on early South Asian archaeology.
What to do
Nearby
Nothing else genuinely close by (within 30 km) is published yet.